


Raison d'Etre

by cywscross



Series: Raison d'Etre [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossover, Dimension Travel, Gen, Master of Death Harry Potter, Sawada Iemitsu's A+ Parenting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-27 17:22:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 90,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13252986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cywscross/pseuds/cywscross
Summary: A few weeks after Reborn arrives in Namimori and turns Tsuna's life upside-down, a young man with ancient eyes and an easygoing smile wanders into town as well. And all of a sudden, everything changes, another path is laid out, and what little sense is left in Tsuna's world promptly flies out the proverbial window.





	1. Stranger in a Strange Land

**Author's Note:**

> Reposting Chapters 1-12, enjoy.

 

"Yeah, yeah, I'll come, but no promises. You know I don't treat men, even if he is the heir."

_"That's fine. It's up to my student to convince you."_

"I doubt he'll be able to. ...There is one thing. I'll be bringing someone with me."

_"I heard rumours about a new partner but I wasn't sure if they were true. You sure you can't leave them behind?"_

"No."

_"...Rather blunt. They must be good. Well, I don't mind. I'll see you when you get here."_

Shamal scoffed as he hung up. How a thirteen-year-old kid was going to convince him to do otherwise, he didn't know. He hated breaking his top policy but he had other rules now as well...

"Problem?"

Shamal twisted around and smiled his thanks as a cup of coffee was passed to him. "No, just doing a favour for a friend. Ever been to Japan?"

"Not recently. Am I to gather that you want me to follow you halfway around the world this time?"

Shamal shrugged, leaning back even as he shot an expectant look at his companion. "Not like you're not going to anyway, Harry, no matter what I say."

"Very true," Harry agreed amicably. "Someone's got to keep you out of jail."

Shamal snorted as he pointed out dryly, "Last time I checked, you try to get me arrested whenever I start admiring women."

Harry raised an eyebrow at him. "It's called sexual harassment, Shamal. And whenever you spend the night in a cell, I only have to pay for one hotel room. Everything works out."

Shamal huffed more out of amusement than annoyance as Harry rose to his feet and started packing. Thinking back, he still couldn't figure out the exact reason he had partnered up with the British... jack-of-all-trades.

Shamal was a freelance assassin and sometimes professional doctor. He was a hell of a doctor but his policy to treat only women tended to make his résumé look bad, not to mention he had no interest in working in a hospital anyway.

But the point was that he worked  _alone_. Somewhere along the way, he had somehow picked up Harry Potter and his team of one became a team of two. What was even more shocking was that the man was, well, a  _man_. Honestly, the few times Shamal had considered working with someone else, he had always pictured his partner to be reasonably female.

Shamal had been finishing up a job – twelve hits, simple and clean – when a noise in one of the rooms of the building had attracted his attention and he had gone to see if there was one more enemy lurking in the place. Two minutes later, he had found himself staring down at a black-haired man lying in what looked like a small pool of his own blood, eyes closed and looking very dead if it hadn't been for the slight hitching rasp cutting the air as the man breathed.

In the dark room, only lit by the dim hallway light, Shamal had unceremoniously prodded the stranger with one shoe, ready to release his mosquitoes if the man showed any signs of retaliation. The only thing that happened in response was a pair of green eyes snapping open, almost glowing in the muted light as the man pinned Shamal with a flat look.

They had stared at each other for a minute longer before Shamal had asked bluntly, "Are you with them? Got the short end of the stick?"

The man had given him a mildly irritated frown. "You're going to have to clarify who 'them' are."

Shamal had taken that as a no. He hadn't thought so anyway; traitors were usually killed as soon as possible, and his trained eye had already decided that while the stranger's injuries were deep, they weren't fatal. The man was probably a prisoner.

With an unconcerned shrug, he had made to leave. "Doesn't matter then. They're dead and you're free to go. I'd help you but I don't treat men."

Shamal had expected the usual squawk of indignation and demands that if he was a doctor, he should help him, but all he had received was a snort and a grunt of pain as the man pulled himself up into a sitting position to lean against the nearby wall.

"I don't believe I ever asked for your help," The man had drawled. "Now move out of the way please. You're blocking the light and I can't see anything in here."

More than a little startled but hiding it well, Shamal had left without a backwards glance, picking up his payment along the way before returning to the hotel he was staying at. He had checked out the next day, flirting with the receptionist on his way out and gotten a slap for it, but he hadn't made it halfway to the airport before the injured man that had lingered at the back of his mind since he had finished his latest job rushed back to the forefront of his thoughts.

Shamal really hadn't cared about the black-haired stranger and in his line of work, deaths weren't exactly rare, but the man's flippant words had spiked the doctor's curiosity. While he wouldn't have healed the man, if he had asked, Shamal would've helped him out of there.

So he had gone back, just to check whether the man had managed to get out or not. To his surprise, the stranger had been in the exact same place Shamal had left him in, but that hadn't been the shocking part. While the floor had still been splashed with crimson and the man's clothes looked to be beyond repair, Shamal couldn't see so much as a papercut on him.

The stranger had fallen asleep and even Shamal had grimaced at the drying blood he had been slumped in. In the end, he had hauled the man up and outside, waking him in the process and almost getting stabbed with a silver dagger that had appeared out of nowhere for his efforts.

Shamal had seen stranger things than high-speed healing in his life so he hadn't asked and the stranger hadn't offered. As luck would have it, the men Shamal had killed apparently had backup and they had come back right when Shamal had been setting the stranger down against a tree.

Five minutes and forty dead bodies later and Shamal had been wondering how the idiots he had killed the day before had managed to capture someone like his temporary field partner. The man was faster than anyone Shamal had ever seen in action, and while there had been a subtle frown of distaste on his face, the experience with which the stranger had wielded his dagger had been undeniable.

Two weeks later and Shamal had found out four things about the man: his name was Harry Potter, he didn't have anywhere to go or return to, any attempts to find even a parking ticket on the man had failed, and he had somehow piqued Shamal's interest enough that the doctor had postponed his flight out of England just to follow – he stubbornly refused to call it stalking as his new acquaintance mockingly accused him of – Harry around.

Harry hadn't done much more than raise an eyebrow at his presence and Shamal had only found this even more intriguing. How many people out there didn't so much as bat an eyelash when a complete stranger – and an assassin to boot – decided to share a two-bedroom hotel suite with them?

Another week after that and Shamal had received another job. It was only common sense to drag his new companion along, especially since Harry had started looking a little bored. And then they had simply fallen into the pattern of working together. Shamal would get the assignments and Harry would tag along, and the doctor hadn't even noticed how comfortable he was working with the Brit – who honestly couldn't be over twenty-four but acted more maturely than Shamal did most of the time – until he had woken up one day in the motel they had been staying in, sprawled on the sofa-bed with his back unprotected and facing Harry, who had been making breakfast in the tiny kitchen behind him. It had been years since Shamal had dropped his guard so much.

Now, a year after they had met, Shamal couldn't really imagine  _not_  booking two hotel rooms or one room with two beds, or ordering room service for two, or equally splitting the payment for each job between them.

Granted, Harry usually incapacitated their targets and left the killing to Shamal, but Shamal didn't always get assassination jobs anyway, and he had learned that Harry knew at least a little of pretty much everything, from cooking to poker to rock-climbing to putting a bullet through an enemy's head.

Shamal wouldn't label his partner as an assassin or a Mafioso. If he had to put a name to it, he'd say one of those mercenaries who did odd jobs for a living, but even that wasn't quite right because Harry sometimes worked just for the heck of it and didn't particularly care whether or not he received payment for his skills. Once, Harry had even taken over a random stranger's shift at a bar after the man had spun some sob-story about his wife being in the hospital but not being able to beg off work. Shamal had later found out that the man had been telling the truth but he still thought Harry's actions were a bit  _too_  kind-hearted for the world they lived in. Shamal would've called him naive and soft if he hadn't personally witnessed Harry hurling his dagger straight into an assassin's head when said assassin had tried to stab Shamal in the back, both literally and figuratively.  _That_  was the reason Shamal worked alone, with, it seemed, the exception of one Harry Potter.

Still, he had accepted his companion's quirks as Harry had accepted his. He never pressed Harry about his numerous skills, not too deeply anyway, and Harry never deliberately dug into Shamal's past. It was safer for everyone involved, and they still trusted each other enough to make a good team in the dark underworld.

"Daydreaming again, Shamal?"

Shamal gulped down the last of his coffee and got up with a languid stretch. "Just imagining all the women in Japan that I'll be able to meet. I've always thought Japanese women are the cutest."

Harry just gave him an indulgent smile of amusement, which was another thing that Shamal had resigned himself to. His partner always seemed to know when he was lying, though he thought he was rather adept at catching Harry out on his occasional lies as well, so at least they balanced each other out.

"I'll check us out," Harry said instead, shouldering the duffel bag Shamal had bullied him into getting. He couldn't understand how anyone could survive this long with only the clothes on their back; even Shamal had a suitcase he carried around.

"And I'll book the plane tickets," Shamal called after him as he flipped open his phone with one hand and started packing with the other.

The job in Japan shouldn't take too long and maybe Shamal could finally find a young sexy Japanese woman to stick Harry to. He had been trying to find Harry's type for all of six months now but if anything, his partner just seemed completely asexual.

Shamal shuddered at the thought.

 

* * *

 

"Reborn! When will this doctor get here?" Tsuna wailed as he and his tutor drew closer to his house.

"When he wants to," Reborn replied flippantly and Tsuna had to force back tears of despair. Why did his tutor have to be so sadistic?

As they rounded the final corner, Tsuna slowed to a stop when he caught sight of a stranger – a foreigner – standing outside his house, peering at his address with a piece of paper in hand and a duffel bag slung over one shoulder. The man glanced at them when Tsuna shifted awkwardly, not quite sure what to make of this.

"Err, are you lost?" Tsuna asked tentatively, hoping the man spoke Japanese.

The foreigner smiled and shook his head. "No, I think I have the right place," His Japanese held only the slightest hint of an accent. "This is the Sawada household, is it not?"

Tsuna nodded uncertainly only to get kicked when Reborn leapt up onto his shoulder. "Ow! Reborn, what was that for?"

Reborn ignored him, smiling blandly at the stranger instead. "Who are you?"

The foreigner tucked away the piece of paper and inclined his head in greeting. "You must be Reborn. I'm Potter Harry. I believe you're expecting my partner, Shamal."

Tsuna glanced anxiously between Reborn and the stranger – Potteru Hari? – as the silence bordered on uncomfortable. And who was Shamal?

"I see," His tutor finally said. "And where is Shamal?"

Hari's smile seemed to curve into a smirk and Tsuna shivered. That expression was a lot like Reborn's when his tutor had something crazy and painful in mind for him to do.

"He got himself arrested," Hari said, far too cheerfully in Tsuna's opinion. "Sexual harassment at the airport."

Tsuna gaped and then did a double-take when Reborn actually looked genuinely amused.

"Come inside," Reborn offered, jumping back down to the ground. "You must have had a long flight."

"W- Wait!" Tsuna cut in, feeling bewildered at this turn of events. He still had no idea what was going on. "Who are you and who's Shamal?"

Hari turned back to him, and despite the smirk that had previously painted his features, Tsuna found himself relaxing at the warmth in the man's green eyes.

"You can just call me Harry," The man said, and Tsuna repeated the foreign name in his head – Harry, not Hari. "Shamal is your soon-to-be doctor. I'm his partner in crime."

Tsuna laughed nervously, not sure whether or not he should take the last part seriously as they followed Reborn into the house. Harry just grinned back good-naturedly so Tsuna couldn't be sure, but criminal or not, the man's presence put him at ease and he found himself smiling back as they entered his house.

"I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi," He introduced, toeing off his shoes. "But just Tsuna is fine."

"Pleasure to meet you, Tsuna," Harry replied with a sort of half-bow that somehow managed to look elegant and completely normal when the foreigner did it. Tsuna was sure he would've fallen flat on his face had he tried.

Five minutes later, they were all sitting in the living room, waiting for Shamal to arrive. Tsuna's mother was out shopping with the kids at the moment but Bianchi was home – much to Tsuna's horror; he really hoped the woman didn't try to poison his newest guest – and was promptly introduced to Harry.

Surprisingly, Bianchi just looked curious at Harry's presence and the two had soon struck up a friendly conversation, mostly about the doctor that was coming to see Tsuna and whom Tsuna wasn't sure he wanted anywhere near him anymore.

"I always thought Shamal would've taken on a female partner if he ever got one," Bianchi was saying now. "Does he patch you up if you get hurt?"

Harry waved a dismissive hand. "I can take care of myself and I don't get hurt often anyway. Besides, I'm more the gathering information type. I leave the messier aspects to Shamal."

Tsuna wasn't sure if he wanted to know what those 'messier aspects' were. This Shamal was a doctor-assassin as well – and wasn't that irony for you – and while Tsuna had semi-accepted the fact that mafia was slowly invading his life, he didn't have to like it.

"Um, are you an assassin too?" Tsuna tinged red when three pairs of eyes all turned to him. His tutor actually raised an eyebrow at him. Tsuna wasn't one to chat with people he didn't know and the guests that had been coming and going from his house were often insane enough that Tsuna had no choice but to interact with them.

But Harry seemed relatively sane and calm. He didn't fling poison cooking everywhere like Bianchi or bring along a troop of Mafioso and an out-of-control pet like Dino or fire weapons at the drop of a hat like Reborn. Best of all, Harry didn't speak to Tsuna with that irritating superior condescendence that the three Italians – even Lambo, for God's sake – living in his house always adopted. Tsuna already knew he was no-good but did they have to go out of their way to pound that into his head even more?

"No," Harry answered easily. "You could say I'm a jack-of-all-trades. I don't really specialize in any one career. If it pays and it's not too troublesome, I'll do it."

Before Tsuna could ask what 'not too troublesome' included, the black and white skull on his left palm spouted out, "That's so embarrassing! You're still afraid of getting on a swing! That's so embarrassing! You're still trying to learn how to swim!"

In the thick silence that followed, Bianchi snickered out loud while Reborn took another sip of coffee. Tsuna flushed deep red in embarrassment as he automatically clapped his hands together.

"Skullitis, huh?" Harry remarked and Tsuna glanced up when he heard no mocking laughter.

Harry still had that half-smile on his face but it hadn't become any more scornful. "Not fun for anyone."

Tsuna mumbled something unintelligible, nails digging into his palm. It was bad enough letting people he had gotten used to being around hearing his shameful secrets but it was an entirely different matter letting someone Tsuna thought was actually fairly normal-

"How old are you anyway?"

Tsuna looked up, startled at the spontaneous question. "Uh, thirteen. Fourteen in October."

Harry looked thoughtfully at him before revealing ruefully, "Better than me then. I couldn't properly swim until I was sixteen."

Tsuna felt his mortification ebb as his newest guest drew him into a conversation. "R- Really?"

Even sitting, Harry looked confident and comfortable with himself. Now that he thought about it, Tsuna couldn't imagine the foreigner not being able to do something most people learned at a young age.

"Oh yeah," Harry nodded. "One of my teachers at the time realized I couldn't swim and decided that the old 'sink or swim' adage fit me perfectly. He threw me into a pool and told me I wasn't allowed to come out until I could swim ten laps."

Tsuna gaped. "And you did it?"

Harry chuckled quietly, picking up the cup of tea Tsuna had made for him. "I had no choice. Took me eight hours but by the end of the day, I could at least doggy-paddle without drowning."

"But- But that's crazy!" Tsuna spluttered. "You could've died!"

"Actually, that's a good training exercise," Reborn piped up, turning an evil eye on Tsuna. "Since you still don't know how to swim, Tsuna, you can go through the same thing Harry did."

"What?!" Tsuna screeched. "Reborn! You can't be serious! I'll die!"

"Harry survived," Reborn pointed out calmly.

"That's different!" Tsuna protested, glancing at Harry.

Harry shook his head. "You can do anything if you have the right motivation."

"Not that kind of motivation!" Tsuna complained, but still found no sympathy from Harry. Under that laidback smile, Tsuna was beginning to suspect that Harry was just as crazy as the rest of his houseguests.

Before Tsuna could continue trying to convince Reborn to drop the idea, the doorbell rang from downstairs and Harry brightened.

"Ah, that must be Shamal. Mind if I get it?"

Tsuna shook his head and watched as Harry rose to his feet in one fluid motion, footsteps silent as he padded off to the front door. He missed the silent glance Bianchi and Reborn exchanged behind his back as Harry disappeared from sight.

"You let me get dragged away! Again!"

An indignant voice from the front door reached their ears and Tsuna watched with interest as an Italian man, about half a head taller than Harry, entered the room, scowling down at his smirking partner.

"It was your own fault," Harry retorted. "I warned you, didn't I? I told you not to bother the plane attendant, and what do you do? You go and bother the plane attendant."

"I was not bothering her!"

"You kissed her and tried to grope her before she slapped you!  _After_  she said no when you asked her out on a date!"

Tsuna sweatdropped as Shamal turned away sulkily. This guy was supposed to be able to heal him?

"Ciaossu, Shamal," Reborn greeted. "You took your time getting here."

Shamal just shrugged and elbowed Harry half-heartedly. "Blame him. He lets me get into all sorts of trouble and hardly ever helps me out of it."

"Your own fault," Harry repeated breezily. "Now do your job."

"Right," Shamal straightened and Tsuna perked up hopefully when the man's gaze drifted over him.

Only to sag when the Italian beamed at Bianchi instead, his arms opening as he stepped forward.

"Bianchi! It's been a while. Shall we go on a date? Don't be shy now!"

It all went rather downhill from there. Getting smacked around didn't seem to deter Shamal at all and Bianchi had soon fled the house, a besotted doctor chasing after her.

"Harry-san!" Tsuna cried desperately. "Can't you make him concentrate?"

For the first time since his arrival, Harry's expression took on a more serious edge and Tsuna saw his gaze momentarily flit to where his tutor was still sitting, an innocent baby smile on his face as usual.

"Better figure it out yourself, Tsuna," Harry told him. "Shamal doesn't treat men but he's not completely heartless. Give him a reason to help you."

Tsuna sighed and hurried out after the two Italians. He had less than two hours to convince Shamal to help him. What reason could he come up with?

 

* * *

 

Two hours later, Reborn had sent his student scurrying off home after he had been cured and was currently walking back at a more sedate pace with Shamal.

"You've changed," Reborn commented as they walked back to the Sawada household.

Shamal glanced down at him, hands stuffed in his pocket and a lazy slouch to his frame. "Were you expecting me to leave the boy to die?"

"Once upon a time, you would have," Reborn countered. "And you've never done anything for anyone because you felt sorry for them. You don't treat men for any reason."

Shamal shrugged nonchalantly. "I've taken on a few more policies, that's all. Children don't count. I'll treat them if they're fifteen or under."

"Hmm, I did wonder who Harry stepped out to call," Reborn looked speculatively up at the doctor. "Who is he anyway? It's not like you to pick up just anyone. And a civilian too."

"He's no civilian," Shamal denied abruptly. "He's more capable than he looks."

They rounded a corner and Shamal automatically sped up as they both caught sight of Harry standing out front, staring up at the sky. Reborn didn't bother keeping up with the doctor as Shamal hurried forward to join his partner.

" _He's more capable than he looks."_

Of that, Reborn had no doubt. Harry Potter had a disarming smile that told the world he was harmless but one look at the man's eyes had told Reborn that Shamal's new partner was far more dangerous than anyone was giving him credit for. Those eyes were old and had seen death far too many times, an unsettling picture in such a young face. There was a certain wisdom borne from experience in there too, and a core of power lurking in their depths.

Reborn saw this, recognized this, because those were the same things he saw in his own eyes, and, to a lesser extent, in the other pacifier-bearers' eyes as well. Had Harry been two-years-old instead of twenty-something, Reborn would've labelled him Arcobaleno.

Shamal didn't seem particularly inclined to leave Harry behind though so if Reborn wanted to keep the doctor around just in case something happened, the mysterious Brit would have to stay too. Reborn had already made a few discreet calls but none of his contacts had anything to give him about Harry Potter and that was what worried him most. He wasn't used to dealing with people he didn't know anything about, especially such a powerful individual.

On the other hand, while Reborn was helping Tsuna gather his own future Guardians and other Family members, if his student somehow secured Harry's loyalty, Reborn was sure they wouldn't regret it. He had already seen firsthand the genuine compassion Harry had.

He would do his own research on the man, Reborn decided as he reached the duo. While Shamal was an idiot when it came to women, the doctor would never partner up with someone he didn't trust explicitly.

"You two can stay for dinner," Reborn half-suggested, half-ordered. "Mamma loves cooking for more people."

It would be interesting to see what kind of person Harry Potter was.

 _Although_ , Reborn thought as his gaze temporarily met knowing green eyes.  _He already seems to know what I'm up to._

Yes, much more dangerous than anyone gave him credit for.

 


	2. Fitting In

 

The next few weeks were spent wandering around Namimori and flirting with various women because, as Shamal soon found out and really should have seen coming, his short-term job of curing the Vongola heir became a long-term job of staying nearby just in case said heir or one of the boy's Family members got shot, maimed, knifed, concussed, and or otherwise hurt.

To his relief, Namimori wasn't too bad. It was an average town if you ignored the bombs and various firearms going off every other hour and the food was pretty good too. As a bonus, his partner didn't seem to mind either.

Indeed, Harry appeared to get a kick out of exploring the entire town, and it wasn't until Shamal caught sight of a certain hitman tailing his partner that he realized why. He had to hand it to Reborn; the tutor's tenacity had to be fairly high to follow Harry into every possible store in the Namimori shopping district. Shamal had learned long ago that anyone wanting to shadow Harry usually ended up incapacitated within a few minutes to an hour depending on what kind of mood his partner was in that day, but ever since he had joined up with Harry, Shamal had never needed to worry about anyone following him again.

Today though, instead of busying himself with pursuing a good-looking woman or even trying to find an assignment that wouldn't take him out of Japan, Shamal was lounging in the Sawada household and waiting as Harry cooked lunch.

They had been introduced to Nana as well as the kids several days after they had first arrived and the Sawada matriarch had taken to inviting them over for meals every few days. Harry had offered to cook in return, insisting on some sort of repayment, and even Reborn had had to admit that Harry could cook a mean Italian spread. For the Italians in the house, the food was familiar and delicious, and even Nana, Tsuna, and I-Pin all agreed to the latter after their first bite.

Shamal grimaced as Lambo's loud cackles cut into his thoughts and he lifted his legs so the brat wouldn't trip over his feet as he chased after I-Pin. If the cow fell, there would no doubt be tears and Shamal would either get blasted by grenades or that damn bazooka. Not that he couldn't dodge both but he'd rather not have to move.

"Tsuna, Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto-kun, could you come set the table?" Harry's voice floated from the kitchen and Shamal watched with some bemusement as the aforementioned teens called back simultaneous affirmatives, hastily saving their game before speeding towards the kitchen.

Shamal had known that his old student was currently living in Namimori and it came as no surprise to him when he found out that Hayato was still as hotheaded as ever. However, it made for a pleasant discovery when he learned that the bomber had finally found a place to belong. He had seen the boy smile more often in the past three weeks than he had in all the years he had known Hayato before coming to Namimori.

Of course, Hayato hadn't been particularly happy to see him, especially since he had been refusing to cure Tsuna at the time. Harry being his partner had immediately put the man into Hayato's bad books as well but the bomber had at least tried to curb his glowers and insults when he realized how attached his boss was to Harry.

One way or another, the young Vongola heir had taken to Harry with more enthusiasm than any of his other houseguests. After even just a few hours of observation, Shamal could tell that the boy didn't like being surrounded by all the craziness in his life and Harry's calm demeanour seemed to provide some balance in the brunet's world.

In addition to that, Reborn had somehow wrangled Shamal's partner into Tsuna's lessons. As the brat's  _history teacher_. Shamal would never know how the tutor managed that but it seemed that Harry had quite an in-depth knowledge about Japanese history and Tsuna actually looked interested when the Brit talked about it, so Shamal couldn't blame Reborn for nabbing his partner as another tutor for the Vongola heir. The fact that Shamal  _knew_ that nothing and no one could make Harry do something he didn't want made him feel better about the entire matter.

Shamal also had to admit that Harry was very good with children. Heck, he was good with people in general. His even-tempered manner and his lack of judgement in just about everything around him put everyone at ease.

Hayato had been no different. After bristling like an offended cat and trying to chase Harry off for several days, all of which failed, the bomber had finally snapped one day after Harry had tousled Tsuna's hair with affectionate familiarity when the boy had tripped down a flight of stairs and bumped into Harry. Hayato had accused him of being too casual with 'Jyuudaime' and promptly threw a handful of dynamite at him.

Three things had happened at once: Tsuna had yelped in alarm, Reborn had tilted his fedora up to get a clearer view, and Harry had kicked the kitchen door closed so Nana wouldn't see, used one hand to haul Tsuna behind him, and the other to ward off the dynamite, his signature weapon appearing out of nowhere and slicing through each of the explosives in a way that didn't set them off.

In the ensuing silence, Harry's expression, usually relaxed and relatively carefree, had hardened into something sterner and his eyes had darkened to an almost-black as he pinned the frozen bomber with a hard stare.

_"Your desire to protect someone precious to you is admirable, but it is all for nought if you act before you think and injure them in the process."_

Shamal had actually felt quite a bit of sympathy for his old student even without looking too closely at Harry's face. He had been subjected to that look once before and he had no wish to see it again. Once, just once, he had pushed Harry a bit too far, attempting to trick the man into revealing a secret or two that Shamal knew he hadn't wanted to share but was too curious about to care, and he had been met with a lethal glare that instantly made him back off. Shamal had later compared that look with a black hole, endless, all-consuming, and shrouded in darkness.

Hayato had been very quiet after that, looking ashamed and contemplative in turn even as Harry's amicable appearance had returned as if it had never left. But a few days later, Hayato had cautiously approached the Brit and enquired about the way Harry had managed to stop all the bombs from going off. He had asked if Harry could teach him how to get around a defense like that, and he had wanted to know what he should do if his boss was captured and too close to the enemy to pull off an attack.

Harry had blinked back at the boy without any real surprise before smiling in approval at the bomber and whisking him off to who-knows-where. They came back at the end of the day and Shamal hadn't known whether or not to be alarmed when Hayato appeared with some scrapes and bruises but sporting a triumphant grin as he proceeded to show Tsuna what Harry had taught him. The dynamite Hayato had now were much smaller but just as lethal and the bomber's aim was getting better with each passing day. Shamal had clapped his partner on the shoulder and bought him an exotic tea from the local teashop.

On the other hand, Yamamoto Takeshi had hit it right off with Harry the moment the two had met, so much that Shamal had been momentarily worried that he might lose a partner, but all Harry had done was laugh at him when the Brit caught him scowling at the cheerful teenager. To his embarrassment and Reborn's amusement, Harry had made a big show of assuring Shamal that he was the only 'partner in crime' the jack-of-all-trades would ever have.

But if there was one person who didn't take to Harry as easily as the teens did, it was Reborn. Oh, the hitman was genial enough and Shamal suspected that Reborn was starting to respect Harry in his own way, especially after the debacle with Hayato, but the way the tutor watched his partner like a hawk didn't slip the doctor's notice.

So, even after Shamal had known that Harry knew Reborn sometimes followed him, the doctor had still warned his partner of the tutor's presence. The greatest hitman in the world was not to be taken lightly, and while Shamal had no delusions about Harry's strength, he didn't want anything happening to the Brit either. Shamal knew Reborn, and he knew that the Arcobaleno was like a dog with a bone when the hitman found something interesting. And if there was one thing Reborn hated, it was  _not_  knowing something.

As expected, Harry hadn't seemed all that concerned so Shamal resigned himself to keeping an extra sharp eye on Reborn. The hitman was one of the few he respected and cared about but he also knew that Reborn was all but allied with the Vongola, and though Shamal had heard good things about the Nono, he trusted that Famiglia as a whole about as much as he trusted an enemy assassin not to kill him at the first opportunity. For whatever reason, Harry was still not very well-known in the underworld despite his skill on the field and Shamal wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. The Vongola would be falling all over themselves trying to either acquire Harry as a potential asset or eliminate him as a potential threat. Shamal himself had been good enough to be offered a post in the Varia but he had at least had an excuse of being a doctor as well to receive little backlash when he had refused. Reborn had been the same, and Shamal sometimes wondered if that had been part of the reason as to why the hitman had sided with Vongola, in addition to his friendship with the Nono.

But unlike Shamal, Harry had no credentials of any kind to speak of and he really didn't want to spend the rest of his life running from assassins sent out by one of the strongest mafia Families in the world.

As he got to his feet and headed for the kitchen, he caught a passing glimpse of Reborn's unfathomable gaze and wondered, if it came down to it, whether or not the hitman would directly oppose Shamal and present Harry as the weapon he could be to the Vongola anyway.

 

* * *

 

It was infuriating how the man Reborn had taken to following around when he wasn't training Tsuna always,  _always_ , knew the moment Reborn started tailing him. Even worse, Harry seemed entirely too amused by the whole thing and never seemed to mind having a tagalong.

At the same time, Reborn could admit to being a little impressed. There were very few people in the entire world who could sense Reborn when he didn't want them to, and even fewer lived to tell the tale.

But what troubled him most of all was the fact that someone of Harry's calibre – and Reborn didn't even need to see the man fight to be aware of how much strength he possessed – had managed to slip under even his radar for all this time. It simply shouldn't –  _couldn't_  – be possible. There should be connections, documents,  _people_ , who knew this guy, but none of Reborn's contacts – and they were some of the best – could find anything more than hotel and rental car records and shopping receipts, all of them dated throughout the past year, or, in other words, all after Shamal had partnered up with the Brit. Harry didn't even have a  _bank account_ , and Reborn doubted Shamal wouldn't split the pay of an assignment with him. The little that Reborn did manage to find out only brought more questions to mind.

Who had taught Harry how to fight (Reborn knew professionals who couldn't have stopped Gokudera's dynamite from going off the way Harry had.)?

Where had Harry come from?

What had he done before partnering up with Shamal?

And most importantly, did he have any other motive for being here in Namimori other than sticking with his partner? Was he a danger to Tsuna?

So far, Reborn had to say no to the last. If anything, Harry was only helping Tsuna's chances of becoming Decimo. At the very least, the Brit had somehow managed to get Tsuna interested in history, though Reborn had thought it all rather strange.

_"Learning about the Tokugawa dynasty, huh?" Harry asked, scanning the textbook on the table as Reborn, in a rare moment of generosity, refrained from threatening his student with his firearms and had hidden himself in a shadowed corner of the room. "The bloke you were named after was a bit odd, if you ask me, Tsuna."_

_Tsuna turned wide eyes to Harry as Gokudera and Yamamoto leaned forward with interest and Reborn mentally rolled his eyes at the relief all but emanating from the brunet at a chance to take a break from studying._

_"Why would you say that?" Tsuna looked curiously between the Brit and the text._

_Harry dropped gracefully onto remaining cushion next to the brunet, a cup of English tea cradled in his hands. "Well, for one, he was absolutely crazy about dogs. Loved them, and hated anyone who treated them badly. That's how animal protection laws came about in Japan. Tokugawa Tsunayoshi was the one who instituted them. He was widely known as the 'dog shogun'."_

_Reborn watched silently as Gokudera began scribbling down notes while Yamamoto and Tsuna put down their pencils altogether and fully turned to listen._

_"Was it just dogs, or other animals as well?" Yamamoto questioned._

_"It started with dogs, but Tsunayoshi extended the laws to other animals as well."_

_"Could you start from the beginning, Harry-sama?" Gokudera spoke up, flipping to a fresh page in his notebook. "We have a test on the Tokugawa dynasty tomorrow." He hesitated, and then said sheepishly, "You make it sound more interesting than the textbook."_

_Harry looked thoughtfully at the three teens before reaching over and flipping over the material covered in the text._

_"Dry," Harry remarked. "How they expect students to stay awake with this is beyond me."_

_Tsuna nodded vigorously in agreement and Yamamoto laughed at the face Harry made as he closed the book._

_"Alright then," Harry nodded decisively. "Let's start with an overview of the Tokugawa family. Since Tsuna's here, we'll use the fifth shogun, Tsunayoshi, as the centre point."_

_Harry paused to grab a blank piece of paper and started sketching a diagram. "Now, the first shogun was Tokugawa Ieyasu, great-grandfather of Tsunayoshi. Ieyasu did a whole lot of things but what he was most famous for was actually creating and solidifying the Tokugawa shogunate. He ruled from 1603 to his death in 1616, though he was only shogun up until 1605, where he then abdicated but remained the central power behind the throne._

_"What I find most interesting about him though was_ how _he could create an entire shogunate and drag the necessary people after him, and to know that, you have to know him as a person. Ieyasu was both careful and bold, you see, at the right times and in the right places. He was calculating and subtle, and he switched sides when he thought he would benefit from the change."_

_"That doesn't sound very nice," Yamamoto cut in with a frown._

_Gokudera rolled his eyes, obviously irritated at the interruption. "The guy wasn't playing around, baseball freak. It was a fight to survive."_

_Harry nodded. "In a way, Gokudera-kun is right. At the time, the era was one of violence, sudden death, and betrayal. But that doesn't mean Ieyasu was completely heartless either. One of his strongest traits was his loyalty. He held the people he befriended in the highest regard. When he was still trying to establish the Tokugawa shogunate, he befriended Oda Nobunaga, Head of the Oda Clan and one of the most brilliant leaders in history, and he never once went against Nobunaga during their long alliance. He treated the people who followed him with respect and kindness, and protected them to the best of his ability. He wasn't very popular but he was respected and admired for his leadership and his cunning. And those who knew him and followed him followed him to the very end."_

_Yamamoto had brightened. "He doesn't sound too bad. In fact, he's a bit like Tsuna." He shot a grin over at a red-faced Tsuna. "'Cause Tsuna's not that popular but we'd follow him everywhere, especially in that mafia game."_

_This set off Gokudera who exploded into a rant about mafia not being a game and the students at school all had air for brains since they couldn't see how great Tsuna was, and it took a few minutes for Tsuna to plead his Right-Hand to calm down. Harry simply watched them with visible enjoyment and just a touch of wistfulness that Reborn didn't know how to interpret._

_Soon enough though, Harry started up again after taking a few sips of tea._

_"Ieyasu wasn't above forgiving others either and his charisma was second to none. Retainers that he had defeated himself or at least helped defeat, like the Takeda, Hojo, and Imagawa Clans, all became his loyal followers."_

_A wry grin spread over Harry's face as he continued. "His friend Nobunaga wasn't anywhere near as patient. He had one hell of a temper and could hold grudges like no one else, but Ieyasu always managed to convince him otherwise."_

_And so it went. Reborn had to hand it to Harry; five hours of learning about the Tokugawa dynasty and not even Yamamoto had so much as twitched from his spot. Gokudera had gone through seven pages of notes and his own student whose passion for any type of schoolwork was usually half-hearted at best was listening with rapture._

_"How do you do that?" Yamamoto asked when Nana called them down for dinner and the three teens reluctantly packed away their work. "I mean I actually remember who fought who and why but the teacher at school says pretty much the same thing. In fact, I think you gave us more information than Aikawa-sensei did."_

_Gokudera snorted. "That's because the teachers at school are all idiots."_

_Tsuna threw a relieved smile at a pleased-looking Harry before suggesting, "I think it's because Harry-san makes the whole thing sound like a story."_

Reborn had cornered Harry the next day while his student was at school and had offered him a tutoring job. Tsuna had been right; Harry did make history sound like an epic saga and Reborn hadn't needed to wait for the results to come out to know that his student would get at least a near-perfect mark on the test that day.

Harry hadn't said yes right away but Reborn always got what he wanted in the end. All he really had to point out was the fact that Harry didn't exactly have a job in Namimori at the moment and Harry had eventually agreed.

However, Reborn hadn't been able to help asking one last question before they had parted ways. Harry knew more facts than most history professors and the shoguns had briefly become more than kanji on paper when the Brit had spoken of them.

_"Yesterday, you didn't just make what you taught sound like a story; you made it come alive. It almost sounded like you were there when it happened. How do you know so much?"_

Harry had just given him that annoyingly enigmatic smile and told him,  _"I've travelled a lot. I picked up things here and there."_

Reborn hadn't sensed a lie in the Brit's vague words but he knew he had missed something important all the same.

"Reborn, lunch?" Harry called out, and Reborn hopped down from the back of the couch.

He knew he had to tread carefully with this one. Normally, he would have blackmailed or threatened the information out of the person in question by now, but he had no blackmail on this man and threatening him would amuse Harry at best and alienate him at worst. He had no desire to do either.

 

* * *

 

Namimori was a strange town, even by his standards and Harry had seen a lot of strange things in his time. The houses were as normal as they came and the malls weren't anything Harry hadn't seen before but the  _people_  in them were all, quite frankly, insane, Tsuna and his group for whipping out weapons and or causing general mayhem every day and everyone else for ignoring it or simply taking it all in stride. Honestly, where was the police in this town?

Luckily for him though, they were Harry's kind of insane. Not so lucky was the fact that he had landed smack in the middle of a group of people who had curiosity streaks a mile wide. For example, that prefect that Tsuna seemed downright terrified of had been flitting around at the corner of Harry's eye now and then. The boy hadn't been interested enough to approach him yet but judging from what Harry had heard of the student's violent tendencies and thirst for a good fight, that would all end the minute said student saw Harry fight.

And then there was Reborn, of course, and while Tsuna had been quite satisfied at being able to personally meet an Arcobaleno, he was starting to wonder if it was worth all the hassle Reborn was and would no doubt continue putting him through.

Harry didn't mind having his magical abilities revealed (and really, Tsuna's Dying Will flames were pretty special themselves). If they took it well, all was good. If they didn't, Harry could always jump to a different time or a different dimension or both.

He had been doing it for over six thousand years already.

He had found out, all those years ago when Voldemort had finally kicked the bucket and Harry had dared to hope that his life would finally take a turn into the normal, that 'Master of Death' wasn't just a fancy title for someone who had managed to gather the Hallows. Fate was a bitch like that and Master of Death  _actually meant_  that he was Death's Master. And apparently, there were three things that this rank entailed.

One, Death's Master wasn't allowed to die. Which seriously sucked.

Two, Death was a constant in any universe in any time, and as its Master, Harry could quite literally go  _anywhere_  anytime he wanted, so long as he had a clear destination in mind. This, at the very least, helped alleviate boredom and depression for the most part.

And three, well, he had already mentioned it before: Fate was a bitch who liked to screw with him and he had yet to find a way to break the bloody curse of the Hallows. Six thousand years of being stuck as the Master of Death still sometimes made him want to scream at the unfairness of it all.

He had tried a lot of things over the years: diving headfirst into desperate situations, waiting to see if old age simply took a bit longer with him, outright suicide even, but nothing had worked. So he had begun researching. He supposed he could consider himself lucky that he had the whole of space and time to travel through, and it had taken him close to four thousand years in the hundreds upon hundreds of worlds he had poked through to find something even remotely close to his cursed immortality.

The Arcobaleno.

Cursed to remain in the bodies of infants, never aging until-

Well, Harry wasn't sure until what. His research was still hazy on that bit, which was part of the reason he had easily agreed to stick around Namimori for a bit. He had originally thought Italy a good place to drift around in but he hadn't expected to meet Shamal, nor had he expected to take such a liking to the human either.

Harry didn't usually interact much with other people nowadays, hadn't for several millennia now. He had gotten used to being alone and he was usually too... world-weary to care much about personal attachments.

But Shamal had doggedly followed him around, obviously curious about him, and Harry couldn't bring himself to mind the doctor's company. For all his friendly nature, most people usually gave him a wide berth once they realized the fact that he wasn't interested in having drawn-out conversations or midday coffee.

But ever since he had jumped away from the last world where he had gotten into some trouble and had been injured too badly to find a more private place to heal, Shamal had found him and had refused to leave. Harry had thought that the doctor would get bored after a few weeks, maybe a month tops, but a year later, they had still been sharing a hotel room and working odd jobs together.

Harry didn't particularly like killing and he avoided it if he could but he had long since gotten over any qualms over taking a life so that he or someone he cared about could survive. That was the problem with being immortal; things like death didn't quite hit home as much anymore. He supposed he was lucky that he could still hang on to his morals and conscience at his age.

Now though, instead of just the secret of the Arcobaleno to figure out, he has a womanizing pervert to look after, a group of teens to tutor, a baby hitman to keep an eye on, and an entire town holding its breath as his magic warned him of the oncoming pandemonium hovering just out of sight.

At the end of each day, Harry wondered why this made him a lot happier than he had been for many, many years. Certainly happier than it probably should.

 


	3. New Acquaintances, New Arrivals

 

Shamal yawned as he shuffled out into the kitchenette of their hotel room, mildly disappointed when he couldn't smell any breakfast on the stove. He grimaced at the small counter and living area; maybe he should talk to Harry about renting an actual apartment if they were going to stay here for months, maybe even a few years. It would certainly be cheaper in the long run.

A note on the fridge caught his eye and he swiped it up, snorting as he read it.

_Gone out to play! Leftovers in the microwave. Be back for dinner^-^ - H_

Shamal sighed and tossed the note onto the counter before reaching for the microwave. Harry could be such a child sometimes, though he supposed he had no room to complain.

As he heated yesterday's dinner, Shamal thought back to the job offer Reborn had suggested for him. Neither he nor Harry were poor by any means but that didn't mean they didn't need an income of some sort sooner or later. He knew Reborn was paying Harry for his tutoring lessons but he didn't want his partner paying for the both of them alone. It wouldn't be like his usual assassinations or doctor-for-hire assignments but this wouldn't be too hard either.

Besides, a job as the school nurse gave him plenty of opportunities to give all the lovely females a check-up. For medical purposes of course.

 

* * *

 

"...In 1579, Nobunaga captured Yakami Castle from Hatano Hideharu by promising Hideharu peace terms. But Nobunaga betrayed the peace agreement and had Hideharu executed. Needless to say, the Hatano family was outraged, and a short while later several of Hideharu's retainers murdered Akechi Mitsuhide's mother. The situation was made even worse through several public insults Nobunaga had later directed at Mitsuhide. It's suspected that this, along with his ambition to rule Japan and his decision to side with the imperial court who never saw eye-to-eye with Nobunaga, played a part in Mitsuhide's reason for betraying Nobunaga and forcing him to commit suicide."

There was a heavy silence after Harry finished and Reborn had to raise an eyebrow at the gloomy faces of the three boys in the room. The Brit certainly had a way with words if he could make a couple teenagers in this day and age feel sorry for people who had died several centuries ago.

"I guess I can understand why Mitsuhide would do that," Yamamoto spoke up uncertainly. "I mean, if Nobunaga got his mother killed..."

"But did he really have to get Nobunaga killed?" Tsuna cut in, looking inordinately upset, and Reborn had to suppress a sigh. His student still had a long way to go if he couldn't grasp the concept of vengeance. Reborn didn't want Tsuna to become someone who sought revenge at the drop of a hat but the future boss did have to at least understand it. Not everyone around him would see eye-to-eye with Tsuna and there would come a time when his student would have to compromise.

But at this rate, maybe Reborn shouldn't have called Harry over when Gokudera had suggested another history lesson. The material covered within the last hour wasn't even part of their grade's curriculum but even Reborn, who had heard it all before, had been drawn into the world Harry had spun.

Speaking of which, Reborn slanted a calculating look at the Brit who seemed to have become lost in his own thoughts. The teens hadn't caught it but Reborn had heard the slightest hint of loathing in Harry's words as he recounted the tale. Curious. Reborn knew there were speculations of what had really happened between Nobunaga and Mitsuhide but was it just because Harry hated that account of history or was it something else?

"That's one of the official versions, anyway," Harry started once more when the air started getting morose.

"Which version do you prefer?" Reborn found himself asking, tilting up his fedora as he surveyed the Brit closely.

Harry glanced sharply at him, eyes shuttered and gauging for once as if he was trying to figure out what Reborn was thinking. Instinctively, he cleared both his expression and his mind as he usually did when confronting an unknown. Anything he thought had the off-chance of showing on his face and it was simply safer to blank both.

"The version I believe in isn't widely known," Harry eventually said, and Reborn thought he caught a flicker of respect flitting across the Brit's features before Harry turned back to the boys.

"Is it better than all the betrayals in the official one?" Tsuna asked hopefully.

Harry propped his chin in one hand. "I certainly think so. Nobunaga has always been quick to anger, and like I said, he can hold grudges like nobody's business. The Hatano family put up a hell of a fight and took down quite a few men on Nobunaga's side. In retaliation, even after offering the peace treaty, Nobunaga killed Hideharu, not the smartest move when it comes to politics, but then again, Nobunaga always favoured the military aspects more.

"Anyway, an eye for an eye and all that so the Hatano family got their revenge by killing Mitsuhide's mother, who was in Yakami Castle at the time, acting as a hostage as a sign of goodwill."

Harry paused, gaze turning inward and distant before he continued. "Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, Mitsuhide has never been close to his mother, and while there was regret on his part and definitely anger at the way Nobunaga handled the entire situation, it wasn't enough to split them."

"Then what about the coup?" Gokudera frowned, idly tapping his pencil against his notes. "Why would Mitsuhide lead a coup? Ambition?"

Harry shook his head. "Mitsuhide was content to serve under Nobunaga. They weren't just daimyo and retainer; they were closer to brothers. Neither would have betrayed the other. But Nobunaga's imperial court was getting out of hand. Nobunaga never showed all that much respect for their authority and they wanted to revolt. To do that, they would need someone on the inside, someone close to Nobunaga. Now, Nobunaga had three retainers whom he trusted explicitly. Shibata Katsuie, Hashiba Hideyoshi, and, of course, Mitsuhide.

"Now, Katsuie originally supported Nobukatsu, Nobunaga's younger brother, who blackmailed Katsuie into it, but after a failed coup against Nobunaga, Nobunaga took Katsuie under his wing and Katsuie's loyalty never faltered after that. The court could not use him.

"Then there was Hideyoshi, who specialized in politics and was known as the second great unifier of Japan after he succeeded Nobunaga. Before that, however, he was Nobunaga's trusted negotiator and he would've seen right through the imperial court had they approached him, not to mention that he was stubborn to a fault and rarely ever changed his mind once he decided on something. He would never turn on Nobunaga.

"Which left Mitsuhide. It's true that Nobunaga often insulted Mitsuhide and those two got into major fights when they weren't in public, so the court thought they could use him. Unfortunately for them, they underestimated the bond between Mitsuhide and Nobunaga. As soon as Mitsuhide got wind of what the court wanted, he went to Nobunaga with their plans. But after what happened at Yakami castle, some of Nobunaga's men were starting to doubt him and dissent began to stir within his ranks. It would only be a matter of time before Nobunaga's reign came to an end.

"So they devised a plan. Mitsuhide refused to let Nobunaga die but it was the only way to pass the reins on to someone else who would be capable of furthering Japan's growth. They used a coup d'état, led by Mitsuhide, to cover Nobunaga's escape, and in Honnou-ji a temple in Kyoto, Nobunaga was smuggled out of the country along with one of his pages, who set fire to the temple so that no one would be able to follow."

All three teens were wide-eyed when Harry paused to drink some tea.

"Wait, but what about a body?" Gokudera demanded. "Remains?"

"Ah, well," An indecipherable smile spread over Harry's face. "No remains were ever found."

"And what about Mitsuhide?" Yamamoto interjected. "He's basically a traitor now, right? Someone like Nobunaga wouldn't have left him to die."

Harry nodded. "As soon as they heard about Nobunaga's supposed assassination, both Ieyasu and Hideyoshi set out to avenge him. However, Ieyasu was in the dark about the plan while Hideyoshi, as well as Katsuie, wasn't, so it was imperative that Hideyoshi reach Mitsuhide first. Luckily, he did, by a narrow margin, and helped him out of Japan as well before claiming that he had killed him.

"With no body, however, there were definitely rumours that Mitsuhide was still alive and not thrown into the sea as Hideyoshi had stated, but nobody in their right mind would say that within Hideyoshi's hearing distance, especially with his rapid rise to power in Nobunaga's stead."

An almost sad expression washed over Harry's face and Reborn frowned speculatively as he listened.

"Ieyasu was also understandably suspicious," Harry continued. "Which eventually led to a split between Ieyasu and Hideyoshi, and while they created an alliance between themselves five years down the road, it was a tentative alliance at best and they were wary of each other until Hideyoshi died from illness. From that point on, Ieyasu quickly gained power, and it wasn't long after that before the Tokugawa dynasty began."

Reborn ran over the story. It definitely fit certain facts. Akechi Mitsuhide's body had never been found and everyone had assumed that Oda Nobunaga's remains had been completely destroyed by the fire. But Reborn had never heard this version before, and he had a Master's degree in history.

"I like your version better," Tsuna decided. "It's too bad Ieyasu didn't know about the plan but... it just sounds really sad when a close friend betrays you."

Harry's eyes darkened for a moment before clearing and a carefree smile quirked his mouth. "Indeed. But don't quote me on it. I guarantee you'll get a zero if you turn in something like what I said to your teacher."

"Che, that's because they're all close-minded fools," Gokudera scoffed, leaning back. "Nobunaga was a great tactician. There's no way he wouldn't have seen at least a little of what the imperial court was up to. He would've seen it coming, and as his Right-Hand, Mitsuhide would never have betrayed him."

Reborn had to smother a smile at the round-about way Gokudera could always bring a history scenario back to the mafia. Which was actually something he had noticed. Harry's history lessons always held something essential that would benefit Tsuna and his Family, whether that was military tactics or morality or something else entirely. Reborn would have thought it a coincidence if he believed in such a thing in the first place.

As it was, it only served to pique his interest in the Brit even more, and renewed his determination to push the man into Tsuna's Family. Harry would no doubt be very useful to him.

Of course, first he had to convince Harry that said alliance would be a good idea and get past Shamal's uncharacteristic protectiveness in the process. And most importantly, he had to find out just what Harry was hiding.

Which was definitely going to take a while.

 

* * *

 

Harry hadn't lied when he had recounted the events between Nobunaga and Mitsuhide. The world he had been in, the lord and vassal he had met, would sooner slit their own throats before betraying each other.

To be fair, none of the other worlds had had Harry there to influence them, and while he knew that there were certain things he couldn't change, a little push here and a small shove there was perfectly okay in his book if it meant keeping his friends alive.

Harry had simply been travelling at the time; seeing the sights, so to speak. He had jumped back in time, not really concerned with which dimension he would be going to, and ended up meeting and befriending a bratty but cheerful eight-year-old Nobunaga first. Harry had been eating at the time and he had split his meal with the boy. One act of kindness and Harry had been unable to stop the kid from following him around, especially since Nobunaga had no real concerns about acting his rank in society.

Short of jumping away again, and he hadn't come all the way back in time just to go somewhere else without at least soaking up some of the culture, he had reluctantly become a babysitter of sorts to the young daimyo-to-be, who loved to run and got into scrapes more times than Harry could count. After Harry had saved him from falling off a cliff, he had been officially invited into the Oda clan and appointed as caretaker to Nobunaga by the boy's father. As he had grown up though, it hadn't taken long for Nobunaga to notice the lack of growth in Harry, but for some peculiar reason, Nobunaga had never, not once, asked about it.

In the end, Harry had ended up staying with Nobunaga as an advisor of sorts, helping the young man oppose his uncle, Nobutomo (because, if nothing else, the bloke had been a pain in the arse), and gain control of his clan. Nobunaga always took Harry's advice into account, most likely because Harry had had more of a hand in raising him than his own parents had.

And if there had been one thing Harry had always drilled into the young Nobunaga's head, it was loyalty and the importance of protecting those under his care. Two things then.

Nobunaga had taken both lessons to heart and had never forgotten them, and Harry had managed to impart his beliefs to Mitsuhide, who had joined them later on and had challenged Harry to sparring matches every chance he got, as well as Hideyoshi and Katsuie, and even Ieyasu when Nobunaga had gotten an alliance with them later on.

Nobunaga's reign had flourished, as Harry had known it would, but he had gotten fond of Nobunaga and he hadn't wanted to see the man he had all but raised commit suicide. He had been pleasantly surprised when Mitsuhide had stormed into Nobunaga's private quarters, ranting about filthy traitors in the court and cursing them to the deepest depths of hell. What followed had been one of the biggest verbal fights Harry had ever seen between two people.

" _...and it is dishonourable to fake one's own death only to run away!" Nobunaga shouted, glowering at Mitsuhide._

" _With all due respect, Nobunaga-sama," Mitsuhide had shot back, sarcasm all but dripping off his words. "It is plain stupid to commit seppuku for no reason at all. It will be a_ fake _coup. Emphasis on the_ fake _in case you missed that."_

" _Show some deference to your lord, Mitsuhide," Nobunaga snapped. "I won't stand for your insolence. And fake coup or no, I will still be running away. Aniue!" The man turned sharply to Harry who had been standing quietly in the corner so far. "Aniue, back me up!"_

_Harry only raised a skeptical eyebrow at the lord who still considered him an older brother despite the fact that Nobunaga most definitely looked older than Harry did._

" _I'm with Mitsu-kun on this one, Nobunaga-dono," Harry said coolly, and they both caught the smugly triumphant look on Mitsuhide's face._

_Nobunaga glared at both of them as he paced back and forth. "How many times have I told you to drop the honorific?" The man growled for the umpteenth time, most likely just to lose some steam._

" _As you wish, Nobunaga-dono," Harry intoned blandly, throwing a smirk in Mitsuhide's direction as the man snorted._

" _I could have you both executed for this alone," Nobunaga threatened distractedly as he finally sat down again, sighing heavily as his brow furrowed in thought._

_Harry traded a glance with Mitsuhide before the retainer spoke up, calmer this time. "My Lord, I would like to remind you that you are technically not running away. You are simply stepping down. Discreetly."_

_Nobunaga scoffed loudly. "You've always had a way with words, Mitsuhide."_

_Mitsuhide shot Harry a furtive meaningful look and the Brit took his cue to take over._

" _Naga-kun," Harry started, gaining the daimyo's attention immediately. It had been years since Harry had last called him that. "You have done much for this country and it is now time for you to retire before you are forced into one. Literally. And you cannot honestly expect me to condone your death, even by your own hands, do you? I didn't raise you so you could eventually kill yourself."_

_Nobunaga was still frowning but he stayed silent as he turned to stare at the dark night sky outside._

" _Nobunaga-sama," Mitsuhide waited until Nobunaga turned back and the retainer met the daimyo's eyes steadily as he spoke. "Should you decide to commit seppuku, we cannot stop you."_

_Harry could argue with that but he had a vague idea as to where this was going so he stayed silent._

" _However, should you go through with it," Mitsuhide continued quietly. "I will be right behind you."_

_Nobunaga stiffened. "That is a ridiculous notion. You are-"_

" _I am your retainer," Mitsuhide cut in firmly. "And as I have sworn from the very beginning, I will follow you anywhere, including beyond the grave and into the next life."_

_A long silence ensued and Harry had to hide a smile as he watched Nobunaga's hands clench and unclench in his lap._

" _That is extortion," Nobunaga finally accused, but his tone was more resigned than angry and Harry leaned back, knowing that the plan would be carried out in accordance to the plan. He met Mitsuhide's gaze and nodded once in respect. He may have had a hand in reinforcing their characters but, at times, he still found such loyalty amazing to witness._

A few Notice-Me-Not charms did wonders for keeping people hidden and it had been relatively easy to sneak his friends out of the country. A part of him had wanted to follow them beyond Japan's borders, but he had had a promise to keep, one he had made to Ieyasu several years after he had met the man, and Harry always kept his promises.

Nobunaga had dropped all decorum, claiming that he was no longer royalty and could do whatever he pleased, and had wrapped Harry in a tight hug before thanking him for standing beside him for so long. Mitsuhide had done the same and they had had one last spar, one that had ended in a draw, before parting ways for good.

"You,"

The low voice drew Harry out of his thoughts and he turned his attention on the teen who had been watching him for some time now.

"Hello," Harry rose from the park bench, taking note of the way the steel-eyed prefect was observing his movements with a trained eye. "May I help you?"

The teen studied him silently for a few seconds longer and Harry had no doubt that the boy could, on some subconscious level, sense his magic. Not many could when Harry wasn't actually using it, but those who did – people who had above average senses – instinctively knew not to underestimate him. This was probably the main reason the prefect had taken such an interest in Harry.

"Your colleague is harassing various females in Namimori Middle," The prefect finally said. "You are the one responsible for him, are you not? If you do not stop the herbivore, I will bite you both to death."

Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. "I apologize. If you could point me in the right direction, I'll have a little... chat with him."

The teen's eyes narrowed but he gestured in the direction of the school anyway. "Second floor, nurse's office."

Harry inclined his head but paused after taking a step towards the school. "I have seen you around town and Tsuna has spoken of you as well. May I have your name?"

The prefect said nothing for a long minute but just as Harry was about to nod and turn away, the teen spoke. "Hibari Kyouya. ...Yours?"

Harry smiled again, sketching a fluid half-bow that he had picked up somewhere through his life. "Potter Harry. A pleasure to meet you, Hibari-kun."

With a last nod, Harry turned and headed down the street. The boy was a curious one. He had heard from Tsuna that Hibari called everyone herbivores, with the exception of himself and Reborn, and yet the prefect had refrained from labelling Harry with it. And when Harry had treated Hibari with polite, friendly respect, the boy hadn't lashed out and had even given his name, only asking for his in return.

There was a modicum of wariness there, Harry mused as he rounded a corner. Definitely not fear, but, like Reborn, Hibari seemed perfectly aware of just how dangerous Harry could be. In addition to that, from what he had seen, the prefect seemed to know when to hold back even with his love of a good fight.

Though Harry guessed that it was just a matter of time before Hibari challenged him to a spar.

 

* * *

 

" _What_  are you doing?"

Shamal froze in his attempt at flirting with a beautiful brunette, who beat a hasty retreat down the hallway. He turned a scowl on his partner who was leaning against the opposite wall, a look of exasperated annoyance on his face.

"Well, I was  _just_  about to get a date, thank you very much," Shamal grumbled.

Harry just rolled his eyes, pushing off the wall. "She's  _underage_ , you pervert. I don't care if you go harass women your age but keep it in your pants around teenagers, for god's sake. You'll get arrested again if you keep this up."

Shamal huffed and dropped into his office chair. "You know I'm not seriously going to do anything with them," He said sulkily. "I'm just playing around."

"Don't whine; you're thirty-five years old," Harry said unsympathetically. "And I know that and you know that, but the girls you harass don't. I'm serious this time, Shamal. Keep your attentions on older women."

Shamal stared at the unusually somber look on his partner's face before nodding his consent. "You only had to say so," He revealed lightly. "Mind if I ask why though? You don't usually have a problem with it when I tease a few girls here and there."

Harry waved a hand in the air. "Hibari-kun seems to be the one keeping the peace in the school. He asked me to put a stop to your harassment."

"That's it?" Shamal scratched his head. "Really?"

Harry shrugged, sitting down on one of the beds in the room. "And you're also the new school nurse. You have to draw a line somewhere, and since you seem incapable of doing that, I'll do it for you. What if one of the girls gets badly hurt? They'll be too scared of you to come get treatment for it. Now," He swung his legs onto the bed and pulled the curtain close. "I'm tired and I'm going to take a nap. Wake me when you've finished whatever it is you're supposed to be doing."

Shamal's mouth twitched as he called back an affirmative before starting his filing again. Damn, there were a lot of students, and the idiot boys' medical records ranged from broken bones to concussions. Honestly, the male population was so troublesome.

He glanced up briefly at the curtained off area when he heard the springs creak a little. Just as well that Harry had curbed his womanizing tendencies, he supposed. After all, he did depend on his partner to watch his back, even for something as minor as this.

 

* * *

 

Two hours later, Shamal almost snapped the pen he was holding when the curtain was suddenly flung back and Harry all but flew to the nearest window.

"What is it? What happened?" He demanded, abandoning his work and readying his mosquitoes for an attack. Harry had always had an uncanny ability to sense danger approaching.

Harry didn't reply for several heartbeats, scanning the darkening scenery for something Shamal couldn't see.

"Things will get a bit hectic soon," The Brit finally said, slowly relaxing again. "Someone powerful has come to town. Malicious intent too."

Shamal peered outside. He still couldn't sense any immediate threat but he had long stopped doubting Harry. "What do you mean by 'hectic'? As in the-shit-hitting-the-fan kind?"

He received a wry smile for that. "Something like that. I have a feeling it has to do with Tsuna's group."

Shamal snorted and shook his head. "Of course it does. This is Vongola we're talking about, not to mention Reborn. Crazy things happen around them all the time. Should I ready my medical kit?"

Harry hmm'd before nodding thoughtfully. "Probably. I doubt whoever it is has come for either of us so it'll be Tsuna and his Family doing the fighting. I don't like interfering in other people's battles so they'll have a rough time in the near future."

Shamal grunted an acknowledgement. "I've gone from treating only women to treating only kids. I'll have you know that my reputation's going down the drain."

Harry smirked. "Goes to show that even the universe in general disapprove of your perverted habits."

Shamal rolled his eyes. Sometimes, he wondered why he put up with Harry.

"You're connected to Reborn though, Shamal," Harry continued on a more concerned note. "You might get pulled into whatever this is as well, so be careful."

And, other times, he knew exactly why he did.

 

* * *

 

"So this is where the Vongola heir is residing. What an idyllic place to live."

"How should we draw him out, Mukuro-sama?"

"Hmm, he goes to that local middle school. Attack the strongest students there. I'm sure that will get his attention."

"We'll crush them all in no time, Mukuro-sama! They won't stand a chance."

"Kufufufu. Well, let's hope they'll at least put up a fight, however futile. It would be far too boring otherwise."

 

* * *

 

Sitting on the windowsill in Tsuna's room, Reborn frowned. His instincts were setting off alarms in his head. Something would happen very soon and his student would be right smack in the middle of it. It was a bit soon for his student to be pitted against a real threat but Reborn couldn't do much about it now. He would continue training Tsuna as much as he could, but it was only a matter of time before the brunet would be tested out in the harsh world of reality.

For now though, Reborn would do a bit of research and make a few calls, just to see if anything major had happened back in Italy. Not many people knew where the Vongola heir was being trained and only someone very skilled could have gotten that information.

Reborn could only hope his student would be strong enough to face that threat when it came.

 


	4. Looming Threat

 

"You're very fond of Fuuta," Reborn commented as he leapt up on the back of the couch so that he stood level with Harry's shoulder. The Brit was leaning against the sofa, arms crossed as he watched the young Italian play with Lambo and I-Pin in the living room.

Harry glanced down at him with a slight smile before looking back at the children. "He's a good kid."

Reborn tilted his fedora down as he continued studying Harry with shadowed eyes. Fuuta had joined them only a week ago and it had been the jack-of-all-trades who had bumped into the boy first.

Reborn was fairly certain he had managed to stay under Harry's radar that time and he had observed their exchange from afar. It had been shocking to watch Fuuta attempt a ranking on Harry only for him to fail, and Reborn had heard, quite clearly, that the Ranking Planet had refused to rank the Brit.

The hitman had no idea what that meant. As far as he knew, any person on the planet could be ranked, and all rankings were accurate unless it was raining, and there hadn't been so much as a drop of precipitation that day. It didn't make any sense, but Reborn was beginning to realize that a lot of things didn't make sense when it came to Harry.

"I'd like to hire you for a job," Reborn continued out loud, meeting Harry's gaze evenly.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Again? Aren't I already teaching history? I'm not particularly good at anything else that's school-related."

Reborn had a sneaking suspicion that that was an exaggeration of massive proportions but refrained from pointing it out.

"No," He nodded subtly at Fuuta. "I want to hire you as a bodyguard. You've done contract jobs with Shamal before, right?"

At Harry's nod, Reborn explained, "I know you can fight, and on a satisfactory level at that. Fuuta needs to be protected from anyone coming after him."

Harry seemed vaguely amused now. "'Satisfactory level'? I don't think anyone's ever said that to me before."

Reborn smirked. "You'll get a big head if I say anything more. Shamal waxes poetic about you enough when he's talking about your past missions."

Harry actually released a laugh at that. "He just wants to embarrass me. Honestly, none of our assignments were as... epic as he makes them out to be. For one, I certainly didn't take out twenty men with a wave of my hand."

Oddly enough, 'But could you?' was on the tip of Reborn's tongue before he swallowed the question down. Instead, he prompted, "Will you take the job then?"

A thoughtful look surfaced on Harry's face and Reborn abruptly found himself on the receiving end of that stern, sharp-eyed, unyielding expression that had, at a lesser extent, once been aimed at Gokudera.

"He is under Tsuna's protection, is he not?" Harry enquired rhetorically. "Which puts him with the Vongola. I am not Vongola, Reborn."

Reborn knew he had to tread carefully. It wasn't a far stretch to realize that the Brit was testing him, and while he felt a twinge of irritation that someone actually had the gall to challenge his authority, he grudgingly admitted, if only to himself, that Harry at least had every right to do so.

"No, you're not," He acknowledged. "But Famiglias can look to freelance assassins and hitmen for certain jobs." He paused, and then amended, "Or mercenaries."

Harry tilted his head in a contemplative manner. "Mercenary? Well, I suppose you could call me that." He glanced back at Fuuta. "Can't you protect him? The kid requested help from Tsuna for Vongola's blanket protection, after all."

"There will still be people desperate enough or suicidal enough to go after him," Reborn countered blandly. "And while I'm capable of getting rid of any of those idiots, I can't be with the boy every minute of the day. I have Tsuna to train, who's enough of a handful as it is, as well as four other teenagers with questionable sanities to keep in line. In addition to all that, the cow doesn't seem to have any sense whatsoever and literally tests my patience every day."

He tilted his fedora up, having said more than he usually would but Harry didn't seem like the type of person to accept anything less than the truth. "On the off-chance of something happening, I'd like you to be there to stop it, just in case."

The thoughtful look was back and it was several minutes before Harry spoke once more. "Reasonable," He agreed, features relaxing into an easygoing smile again. "Should I keep the assignment quiet?"

Reborn considered this and then nodded once. "Nobody really knows who you are. Fuuta seems to have taken a liking to you and he won't mind if you spend time with him. Anyone going after him won't see you as a threat either which will make your job easier. Although I suppose you'll drop a word to Shamal?"

"Of course," Harry confirmed amiably. "He's my partner, after all."

Reborn didn't bother trying to convince him otherwise. Harry was almost a complete unknown in his book and Shamal was a womanizing pervert but the two worked surprisingly well together. Most shocking of all, from what Reborn had seen, the doctor hadn't so much as peeked at a female student's breasts since his job had started, his gaze never straying from their faces. That wasn't to say that Shamal stopped his shameless flirting altogether but he had kept it to the women outside of school ever since. When Reborn had mentioned it in passing, Shamal had only shrugged in a resigned manner and grumbled that Harry had told him not to.

 _Told_ , not bribed, blackmailed, or anything of that sort. In Reborn's opinion, the Brit deserved a medal for accomplishing that miracle.

"How much do you charge?" Reborn mentally ran through his various bank accounts. The payment would be coming out of his own pocket since the Nono would never condone hiring someone he had no information on but Reborn had accumulated a hell of a lot of money over the years so it wouldn't be a problem.

"A favour," Harry requested and Reborn's attention instantly snapped up, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"What kind of favour?" He wouldn't promise anything until he knew all the details. "And why?"

"An equivalent one, of course," Harry inclined his head in Fuuta's direction. "You want me to be a bodyguard so, sometime in the future, I'll ask the same of you. Anyone of my choice and the duration of said assignment will be however long mine will take. And because anyone being protected by you would be as safe as they could possibly be. Money I have; a favour from you would be something rare. Agreed?"

Reborn frowned, silently acknowledging the reason as he mulled over the terms. "It can't overlap my training with Tsuna," He said at last. "He's my first priority."

He paused again, deliberating over whether or not to specify his ties with Vongola as well. He wasn't part of that Famiglia but if whoever Harry wanted him to guard would compromise his allegiance...

No. He'd leave that clause out. If nothing else, Harry was a fair man, and he would never intentionally harm an innocent, for all that he was also a killer. Reborn had only stood by Vongola because of Nono's beliefs, not because he approved of the Famiglia as a whole. Should Vongola do something to warrant the wrath of someone as laidback and tolerant as Harry, the hitman had no doubt that they would've done something to deserve it, and Timoteo would certainly not have condoned it. Besides, too many conditions and Reborn would find himself indebted even further.

"I can work around Tsuna," Harry was saying. "Do we have a deal?"

Reborn nodded curtly and blinked in surprise when a slender hand fell in his line of sight. With an amused smirk, he allowed Harry's hand to wrap around his own in a gentle grip, grasping the man's second finger in return as they shook hands.

Grinning mischievously, Harry sauntered away to join the kids on the floor, leaving a bemused Reborn behind. It wasn't really important but the hitman couldn't help appreciating the gesture. It had been a very, very long time since someone had shaken his hand.

 

* * *

 

"Fratellone, are you sure it's safe to go somewhere so packed?" Fuuta asked anxiously for the third time that day. "Anyone could be hiding in the crowd."

Harry smiled reassuringly down at the boy. "Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you. Besides, we did promise we'd buy the groceries for Tsuna, and you haven't gone out much ever since you arrived. Staying inside all day isn't good for your health, you know."

Fuuta nodded and relaxed a little, tightening his grip on Harry's hand as he fixed his grip on the bag of food in his other hand. He found a smile growing on his face when Harry squeezed back before beginning to point out various shops around them.

Fuuta had been wandering around in Namimori, trying to find someone who could point him in Vongola Decimo's direction, but he had been afraid to call too much attention to himself in the process. It had been mere luck that he had bumped into a black-haired man, also European, who had waved away his accented apology and asked him if he was lost in Italian.

When Fuuta had hesitated, not sure whether he should reveal who he was or not, the man had offered him a warm smile and asked if he was looking for Reborn or Tsuna or just the Vongola in general.

Even at nine, Fuuta was quite adept at judging whether or not someone was sincere, and looking at the man's kind eyes, he had nodded at once, relieved that someone could help him.

By the time the Sawada household had come into sight, and since the man seemed to know what he could do having not asked about the large book he was holding, Fuuta had decided to pay him back by doing a ranking for him. The man had shaken his head and said he didn't need one, that he was simply helping a lost boy as anyone with a heart and some common sense would do.

Fuuta had, unexpectedly but automatically, replied that if that was true, then most of the world had less than a heart and no common sense whatsoever.

The man had laughed and ruffled his hair and Fuuta had found himself smiling back. He had decided to do a ranking anyway, as a gift if not repayment, and while the man had raised an eyebrow at him, he had nodded in the end.

Fuuta had tried to find the man's ranking to see if he was in any danger and how high on the list he would be, but to his surprise, the Ranking Planet had been silent. Completely, utterly, silent.

He had tried again, just in case it had been a fluke, but he had gotten the same result, and when he had looked up to stare wide-eyed at the man standing patiently beside him, Fuuta hadn't seen any particular surprise on his face.

" _That book of yours ranks any person on the planet?"_  The man had asked when the silence between them had stretched past awkward.

Fuuta had nodded uncertainly, and then shaken his head when the man had asked if it worked for animals or plants or inanimate objects.

" _Just humans,"_  He had said, and the man's smile had taken on an oddly bitter edge.

But Fuuta hadn't had time to ask before a commotion at the Sawada house's front door made both of them turn, and by the time he had gotten through introductions and explanations and more rankings with the Vongola heir – now Tsuna-nii – and his friends, Harry, as he had learned, had disappeared, slipping away when no one had been looking.

Fuuta had been assured that Harry often came to the Sawada household for meals and tutoring sessions so it hadn't been long before he saw the kind man again. Harry had taken him out for ice-cream, along with Lambo and I-Pin, and Fuuta had basked in the way Harry had ordered the treat for him, handed him a napkin when he had finished, and held his hand the entire time. He had often seen other older siblings doing the same for their younger brothers or sisters and Fuuta had always been jealous of them.

At the end of the day, Fuuta had almost asked why his rankings didn't work when it came to Harry, but he had unconsciously known that the older man wouldn't like being questioned about it the same way Fuuta hated people demanding to know how he did his rankings. So he hadn't asked and he had kept it to himself, and when Harry had smiled and nodded at his shy request to call him Fratellone, Fuuta had beamed.

A chill suddenly ran up Fuuta's spine and he automatically stiffened. He had had enough people hunting him down and trying to use him for his skill in the past that he had practically developed a sixth sense for anyone looking to take advantage of him. Someone was watching him this very moment.

He almost started panicking when Harry let go of his hand but relaxed again when his surrogate brother slung an arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer.

"Don't worry," Harry murmured soothingly. "Nobody will hurt you. I promise."

Fuuta nodded and let Harry lead him into the large clothing store. Instead of pausing to look at the merchandise, Harry simply walked them straight past the shoppers, one of his hands making a lazy waving motion as they walked behind a clothes rack and slipped through a door marked 'Employees Only'.

Fuuta stared in confusion as the staff they walked past all ignored them, not even glancing their way as they strode down one hallway. They exited through the backdoor without any fuss and turned left onto a quieter street.

"I suppose it's time to get you home," Harry announced, taking Fuuta's hand again as he hefted the three grocery bags in his other hand. "This should be enough for now."

As they started heading home, Fuuta couldn't help asking, "How did you do that? No one looked at us at all! It was like we were invisible!"

Harry just offered a playful smile. "We all have our skill set. You can rank, and I can make people not see us. Among other things."

Fuuta was almost bouncing in place. Being invisible was a lot cooler than rankings in his opinion. "What other things?"

Harry chuckled before bending down to pick up a rock. A moment later, Fuuta's jaw had dropped when he found a small glass sphere in its place instead, with planets glowing softly inside it and golden stars swirling around them of their own accord.

"Wow!" He breathed, passing over his own bag of groceries distractedly when Harry reached for it and accepting the globe with careful hands and wonder. "How did you do that?"

"That's a secret," Harry grinned. "Maybe I'll tell you one day. You can keep that if you want. It won't change back."

Fuuta nodded eagerly, thanking Harry profusely as he continued studying the sphere. It was small enough to put in his pocket and he had every intention of keeping it with him for the rest of his life. It was the first present anyone had ever given him.

"So you're a magician!" Fuuta guessed brightly.

Harry laughed. "Considering the fact that no one's ever called me that before, that's actually very accurate. I guess I'm somewhat of a magician."

Fuuta smiled widely up at his brother. A real magician, who could turn people invisible and change rocks to glass without any help whatsoever.

Before Fuuta could continue questioning Harry though, the chill came back and Harry's smile faded a little. Without a word, Fuuta slipped his gift into his pocket and hurried after Harry as the older man pulled him into a fast walk.

They had almost reached the next corner when near-silent footsteps reached their ears. Fuuta quailed and clutched at Harry's coat. They were blocked in.

"Hmm, they have good senses," Harry muttered, and to Fuuta's surprise, he didn't look all that worried. His eyes were focused somewhere above and Fuuta followed his gaze to find one of those traffic mirrors on a nearby pole. From their angle, Fuuta could just make out a scary-looking grey-skinned man who looked like a skeleton rushing towards them with terrifying speed. His breath caught and he tightened his grip on Harry, who simply crouched down beside him and wrapped a firm arm around his waist.

"Hang on to me, okay?" He instructed, and Fuuta nodded at once, obediently wrapping his arms around Harry's neck.

"This will feel a bit uncomfortable but it'll be over soon," Harry said softly. "Close your eyes and take a deep breath."

Fuuta did as he was told, and a moment later, he felt a brief squeeze around him as a muffled crack reached his ears.

"We're home," Harry declared, and Fuuta's eyes snapped open, only to blink at the familiar red roof up ahead.

"How-" Fuuta felt absolutely bewildered.

"Magician," Harry reminded with a faint smile. He ruffled Fuuta's hair again before giving him a gentle push in the house's direction. "Now go on. And take these too," He handed the bags to Fuuta. "Straight inside. I'll be back soon."

Fuuta nodded, brow furrowing momentarily when all the bags together didn't seem to weigh more than the one he had been holding before. Harry just waved him off and Fuuta trotted away, pausing only to wave back before disappearing inside. He didn't bother hiding a grin as he toed off his shoes. He was willing to bet that not even Lambo and I-Pin had seen what Harry had shown him today.

 

* * *

 

Harry Apparated back to where the two stalkers had cornered them, silent this time since he had no passenger, and out of sight as he landed on a nearby rooftop that had a clear view of the street with his invisibility cloak wrapped around him.

He observed the two skeletal figures exchanging words. Great, not only were they stalkers, they were twin stalkers, which was really just that much creepier.

He had to hand it to them though, however reluctantly. They had picked up his and Fuuta's trail much quicker than he had expected, either by scent or heightened tracking skills. Usually, Notice-Me-Not charms were enough to put off Mundanes. These two were probably mafia though, or related to it somehow, and Harry was rapidly beginning to realize that the mafia in this world had some of the craziest but special-skilled individuals in it. Perhaps even more so than the mafia four hundred years ago.

He shook his head. Now wasn't the time to dwell on past worlds. The twins down below were wearing Kokuyo uniforms and seemed to be trying to figure out what had happened. Looking closer, Harry caught sight of long, sharp nails and gaunt features.

These two weren't just skeletally-structured; they were hollow-cheeked and emaciated. They had clearly been in a prison recently.

 _Vendicare perhaps?_ He pondered. He had been keeping tabs on the mafia back in Europe and knew there had been a breakout. Though what they were doing in Namimori of all places was beyond him.

Down below, the two stalkers squirmed off down the road. They seemed incapable of walking normally and even Harry felt slightly disturbed. Nevertheless, he followed after them, a complex flying spell he had learned long ago when he had still been in his original world easily taking him through the air.

It didn't take long for Harry to realize that they were heading to Kokuyo Land. The decrepit amusement park loomed ahead and the malicious intent that Harry had sensed roughly two weeks ago rushed back.

Truthfully, he could probably storm the place and take out anyone and everyone hiding away inside but that was neither his job nor was it his style. Not anymore anyway. Things were so much more interesting when events were allowed to unfold, and so long as Harry was ready to intervene if absolutely necessary, he didn't mind a little chaos.

Many, many years ago, Harry would've downright refused this way of thinking, wouldn't have even  _thought_  of thinking this way, and even just a few thousand years ago, he would've been reluctant. He supposed it made him seem like he was playing God, but he was immortal and it wasn't as if he had much else to do. The rush of guilt that used to follow thoughts like these had abated several hundred years ago and now he simply accepted them. He was an eternity until he could find a way to break the Hallows' curse and stepping in every time something looked like it was going to go wrong would be just as bad. Not to mention that if this was something Tsuna would have to face, interfering would only stunt the boy's growth.

So, with a last look at the park, Harry flew away, heading back the way he came. Dinner would be ready soon and it was Nana's turn to cook. The woman's meals reminded him of Molly's, and while that always brought on a touch of nostalgia, he wouldn't miss it for the world.

 

* * *

 

"So you're a magician now?" Shamal enquired as he unlocked their hotel room.

Behind him, Harry released a sound of amusement. "Heard about that, did you? I just amused a little boy with a few party tricks, that's all."

"That's a lie," Shamal accused instantly as he hung up his coat.

Harry looked more amused than offended. "How exactly can you tell?"

Shamal shrugged, feeling more than a little smug. "I just can. So, magic?"

He leapt back when the counter changed into a lion, one that remained sitting as it yawned and blinked back at him sleepily.

"Merda!" He swore, stumbling back into the cabinet behind him. He looked around when he heard his partner snicker and quickly went about recovering his dignity. "You could've warned me!  _Why_  would you go for a lion? Why not a cat or something smaller?"

Harry just waved a hand and the lion became a counter again. Cautiously, Shamal prodded it with one foot, half-surprised that it didn't bite him back.

"Where's the fun in that?" Harry said flippantly, but his eyes never wavered from Shamal as if he was looking for something.

It took a few seconds for the doctor to understand.

 _He isn't sure how I'll take it,_  Shamal blinked at the realization.

"...So when I told Bianchi that you took down twenty men with a wave of your hand, you really  _could_  have taken twenty men down with a wave your hand," Shamal said at last, and was rewarded with a startled laugh and a clap on the shoulder as Harry strolled past him.

"Maybe, maybe not," Harry grinned. "Maybe you'll find out one day."

Shamal shook his head as he took a seat on one of the stools. That answer spoke for itself. He had long since accepted the fact that Harry was stronger than he was. Hell, if it came down to a fight between his partner and Reborn – and the Sun Arcobaleno was the strongest hitman in the world – Shamal honestly couldn't say who would come out on top. With Harry being that powerful, why would the man agree to stick with him?

"You're fun to be around," Harry called from his bedroom, and Shamal realized he had said the last part out loud. "And you don't ask too many questions, and we work well together, and you can tell when I lie, which isn't something just anyone can do. The list goes on."

Shamal rubbed the back of his neck. That was just a little embarrassing.

"Aw, how cute," Harry teased as he strode back out.

Shamal glared. "I did  _not_  say that out loud."

"You didn't have to," Harry said cheerfully as he started on dinner. "I could just tell."

Shamal snorted. Just like Harry to throw his own words back at him.

"Anyway, how was work?" A cheeky grin. "Or I suppose I should say: how was school?"

Shamal rolled his eyes. "Hilarious. Nothing very interesting happened. A few scraped knees and a sprained ankle. After school was a pain though."

Harry paused and peered over his shoulder. "Yeah? What happened?"

"I'm a good enough doctor that my name is pretty well-known in the medical circles," Shamal explained. "The Namimori Hospital heard that I had taken a post at the middle school so they asked if I would be willing to help out at the hospital in emergencies. They agreed to my policy and everything so I didn't see too much of a problem. I was called in today and had to treat a couple middle schoolers. Broken bones and concussions. It was pretty serious."

Harry frowned as he heated the frying pan. "You think it has to do with the new threat?"

Shamal nodded. "The injuries they received were put there by professionals. Whoever attacked them knew where to hit to cause as much damage as they could without killing them. Even worse, the kids were all Disciplinary Committee members."

"The ones led by Hibari-kun?" Harry enquired.

Shamal grunted an affirmative. "Aa, and they're some of the best fighters in the school. Granted, it's just a middle school, but..."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "I get what you mean. Well, it seems things are escalating even further. I guess it's just a matter of time before Reborn comes up with some crazy plan."

"You think Tsuna can handle it?" Shamal leaned back with a frown. "The kid's got guts, but he's not fighting material, not all the time. Not even half the time. And Reborn's going to run out of Dying Will bullets sooner or later."

Harry actually relaxed at this. "Tsuna's stronger than he looks. And Reborn's a lot of things but irresponsible isn't one of them. He would never put his own student in a situation that he didn't think Tsuna could handle. Pushed to the limit and a step over it maybe, but not right over the edge."

Shamal raised his eyebrows at the certainty in his partner's voice but said nothing more. Harry had always been a good judge of character.

 

* * *

 

"Disappeared? Are you sure you didn't just let them slip past you?"

"They had the boy cornered, Mukuro-sama. There was no way out."

"Obviously, there was. ...What about the man? Who is he?"

"We don't know. He was accompanying the boy on the shopping trip."

"Find out. I want to know who he is, where he came from, and what he can do."

"As you command, Mukuro-sama."

 


	5. Ready For Battle

 

They were no longer following him.

Harry had scoffed when the two creepy stalkers first started tailing him two days ago. Between going to Tsuna's house for tutoring sessions and meals, lounging in the Nurse's Office as Shamal treated various kids, and spending time with Fuuta, I-Pin, and Lambo, Harry had already shaken them off his tail twelve times. They always found him again of course, but he wasn't exactly trying to hide. It had been fun the first couple of times but it had rapidly become annoying, especially since they did such an abysmal job at it.

Jiji and Djidji, or the Bloody Twins as Harry had found out with some help on Shamal's part, were a pair of brutal serial killers, loyal to a man named Birds even before they had been placed in Vendicare. Serial killers in an area with so many kids running around wasn't something Harry was going to stand for but he didn't want whoever was leading them to raise their guard even further so he hadn't touched them. Yet.

Instead, late at night when Shamal had already turned in, Harry had snuck out and erected some of the strongest wards he could muster around the Sawada household. Then he had gone to Gokudera's apartment and Yamamoto's house and shop to do the same. A simple Point-Me spell had helped him track down the Sasagawa household as well as Hibari's traditional home, the former's occupants whom he still had not met yet and the latter's who still watched him whenever he went to visit Shamal at school.

However, the Bloody Twins seemed to be wholly focused on shadowing Harry, so the fact that they were nowhere to be found this morning set off all the alarm bells in his head.

Shamal had already left for work, leaving Harry to enjoy his morning cup of coffee as he strolled down the street. He loved tea as much as any British born-and-bred but coffee worked miracles in the morning.

A commotion reached his ears somewhere up ahead and Harry sped up. The sounds of fighting were unmistakable and it didn't seem like a friendly brawl either. He rounded the corner and stopped by a telephone pole.

Harry hadn't actually met Sasagawa Ryohei but Tsuna had told him that the older teen was a boxer and was very extreme. Judging by the fact that the boy was in a boxing stance and had some hellishly extreme injuries, Harry would say that this was him.

"Haha! You've finally done something right. Mukuro-sama will be pleased when we tell him we finally managed to catch him!"

Harry raised an eyebrow as he turned to face the blond. Scar across his face, Kokuyo uniform as well. This would be one of the escapees Harry had gotten word of: Joshima Ken. Beside him stood the two creepy stalkers, both of them clicking their long nails.

Harry sighed and took another sip of coffee. Honestly, even his  _day_  couldn't start normally. Was this town jinxed or something?

"Hi," He greeted cordially. Never let it be said that the Brits didn't know their manners. "I don't mean to interrupt but the kid over there looks ready to collapse. He's a friend of a friend of mine and my friend would be quite upset if you do anymore damage to him."

All four of them stared at him in disbelief and Harry quietly enjoyed it. Shocking people was always a good thing in his book. It made for good entertainment.

"You must run away to the extreme!" The boxer suddenly shouted. "They are extremely dangerous!"

The blond burst out laughing. "Are you stupid or something? You're just some random guy with a screw loose. I don't know why Mukuro-sama wants to know about you. Either way, he didn't say we couldn't kill you."

As if on cue, the two skeletal twins shot forward, shooting for Harry with lethal intent, their claws outstretched and obviously aimed to kill.

Harry took another sip of coffee. They were fast, he'd give them that, but nowhere near the fastest he'd seen, not to mention that he had about three dozen different ways to stop them off the top of his head. The blond would probably bolt the moment Harry took down these twins though so magic was out of the question. Innocent party tricks were okay around friends but he didn't want to show anything more than that until absolutely necessary. And he didn't want to kill them either, not in front of the boxing kid. For now...

Ignoring the warning shout from the boxer, Harry easily dodged both sets of nails before tripping up the left one and sinking an elbow into the back of the other. They both went down hard, crashing into the pavement face-first behind him, and before they could scramble up again, Harry slammed a heel down on the back of the left twin's knee joint, breaking it with pinpoint accuracy before turning to the other one, who was trying to get to his feet, and did the same with the serial killer's ankle, crushing it under one foot.

Both of them released strangled cries of agony and writhed on the ground. Neither would be getting up for a while. Harry had aimed for a messy break instead of a clean one and their injuries would only hurt that much more.

Calmly, he turned back to the blond and the boxer, stuffing his free hand back into his coat pocket as he took another gulp of coffee.

"I suggest you leave," Harry said mildly, but he let the warmth seep out of his eyes as he stared down the blond, and the convict didn't need any more convincing. Harry had taken down two serial killers in about five seconds without moving from his spot; Joshima Ken was evidently not going to chance it.

With a snarl of anger, the blond fled, disappearing from sight in a matter of seconds.

Harry watched him go before approaching the boxer who stared back with a mixture of apprehension and awe.

"Hi," Harry greeted again. "You must be Sasagawa Ryohei. Tsuna's told me a lot about you."

Realization dawned in Ryohei's eyes. "You're Sawada's extreme history tutor!"

"I am," Harry confirmed with an amused smile at the hyperactive response he had received. "Nice to meet you, Ryohei-kun."

The boxer grinned at him, looking thrilled. "That was very extreme!" He pointed at the two on the ground. "Have you ever considered boxing?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Can't say I have. I know various types of martial arts but boxing isn't one of them."

Even bleeding from various wounds, the teenager looked pumped. "You should try it to the extreme!" He announced. "You can join the Boxing Club!"

Harry had to laugh this time. "Ryohei-kun, I'm twenty-two. I don't go to school anymore."

The boxer gave him a thumbs-up. "That's okay! You can be the club's advisor!"

Harry sighed and reached out to give him a gentle shove in the direction of the school. "I'll consider it if you head to school right now. And not to class; I want you in the Nurse's Office."

Ryohei seemed satisfied with Harry's concession and nodded, but he waited until Harry had retrieved the two stalkers, dragging them along the ground by their collars, before continuing on.

"You were very extreme back there," Ryohei proclaimed as they walked, not seeming to notice the rips in his uniform or the blood trickling down the side of his head. "Where did you learn it?"

"Oh, here and there," Harry said vaguely, ignoring the groans and whimpers behind him. "I had a couple teachers when I was younger who taught me the basics, like what you saw, but I've seen other types of martial arts since then. You?"

Ryohei pumped a fist in the air, expression excited and seemingly not at all aware of the bloody gash in his shoulder. "I've been learning extreme boxing since I was five!" A sheepish look passed over his face. "My sister, Kyoko, doesn't like to see me fight though so I try to keep it in the club."

Harry watched as the boy scrubbed an absent hand over his brow, smudging the blood there, and with a sigh, he caught the boxer's elbow and steered him towards the nearest bench. Tossing his now empty cup in the trashcan and dumping the two serial killers on the side, he drew out the small medical kit from a coat pocket spelled with an Undetectable Extension Charm and proceeded to treat the injuries.

"Honestly," Harry chided as he dabbed at the blood with a clean cloth. "For an athlete, you don't take very good care of yourself, do you? How do you expect to be extreme all the time if you don't... heal to the extreme?"

Ryohei blinked almost owlishly at him as he tended to the wounds, surprise keeping him still as Harry cleaned him up. A comfortable silence fell over them as Harry hummed a light tune he had picked up several years back under his breath. Without magic, he couldn't actually heal any of the injuries, but he could speed up the process a little and taping up the worst of the gashes helped as well.

"Alright," Harry brushed back a stray strand of hair to check on the cut under it. Deeming it to be shallow enough not to require a bandage, he straightened and offered a hand to the boy as the last of the running blood was wiped away. He smiled a little when the boxer took his hand and allowed the Brit to pull him to his feet. "You're still going to the Nurse's Office but you won't have to stay as long."

He hauled the two stalkers up again and set off once more, Ryohei trotting beside him with the occasional curious look. From what he had heard, Harry was pretty sure this was the longest that the boxer had ever stayed quiet.

They paused at the school gate as Harry's gaze flickered to the presence he had felt follow them since the altercation had ended. With an amused air, he set the two serial killers down just outside the gate.

"What if they run off to the extreme?" Ryohei asked with a frown.

"Ah, don't worry," Harry waved a hand in the general direction of a nearby tree. "Someone will be here to pick them up."

Ryohei scratched his head, clearly confused, but didn't ask again as they headed inside. Only to be intercepted by a certain prefect, his ire visible as silver tonfa bore down on them.

"Tardy students and trespassers will be bitten to death."

With a loud clang of metal, Harry deflected both weapons with his dagger, tossing the teen back several feet.

"Nurse's Office," He took this reprieve to give Ryohei, who looked eager to match his skills against Hibari, a severe look. The boxer hesitated and then drooped almost sulkily but nodded.

"Remember my extreme invitation!" He declared instead as he turned to jog into the school. "You will be an extremely cool club advisor!"

Harry only had time to shake his head in exasperation before Hibari had launched himself forward again, a predatory gleam in his eyes. The prefect had never actually cared when Harry had come and gone so today must have been an excuse for the prefect to fight him.

Hibari was good, Harry had to admit. There was still a lot of room for improvement but that only made the boy even scarier. Hibari had obviously spent hours upon hours honing his skills and it showed in the way his movements were almost never needlessly time-consuming. Each delivered blow was concentrated and accurate, trying to get through Harry's defense.

There were a smattering of mistakes here and there though and Hibari's fighting style was interesting enough that Harry proceeded to fix some of those holes, shifting an elbow here as he blocked a downward strike and changing a footing there as he twisted around another blow.

Hibari wasn't so clueless as to not know what Harry was doing and a flash of not-quite-anger flickered in his eyes before they brightened with challenge and the strikes increased in amount and speed. Harry dodged or deflected all of them, and the impromptu spar lasted for the entire first period. Just as the bell rang, Harry blocked both tonfa before executing a roundhouse kick that threw Hibari back and onto the ground, skidding a good few feet before coming to a stop.

"I think we'll stop here for today," Harry said softly. The steely note in his voice told Hibari that it wasn't a suggestion and the prefect, surprisingly, only frowned but made no move to disagree as he clambered back to his feet.

"You're very good," Harry remarked as he pocketed his knife. "A few holes here and there but I've rarely ever seen anyone on your level at your age."

Stretching a little to shake out his muscles, Harry nodded politely in the teen's direction before making his way to the front gates. It was time for his daily visit to the Sawada household to spend some time with his ward and the other kids.

"Potter."

Harry stopped. Well, it was rather nice of Hibari not to classify him as an herbivore.

"Hmm?" He peered over his shoulder at the prefect.

"...You know of the attacks against the students of Namimori Middle." It wasn't a question.

Harry half-turned to face the teen. "Got two of them this morning. Both from Kokuyo Middle by the looks of their uniforms."

Hibari stared evenly at him through narrowed eyes. And then he nodded once, curtly, and headed back into the school. Harry's mouth quirked into a smile when he realized the boy was heading in the opposite direction of the Nurse's Office. He supposed letting Ryohei off would be the closest to thanks he would get.

 

* * *

 

Reborn had arrived at the scene just before the blond Vendicare convict had split and he had been more than a little annoyed at himself when he realized that he had missed Harry taking down the two known serial killers on the ground.

After hearing about the 'magic tricks' Harry had performed for Fuuta, Reborn had been curious to see just what the Brit could do. Fuuta hadn't gone into detail but the mention of teleportation had piqued Reborn`s interest so he had kept an extra close eye on Harry, hoping to catch a glimpse of his abilities. He had seen nothing of the sort yet, but Reborn could be patient when he wanted to be.

He hadn't bothered attempting to hide himself from the Brit after the serial killers were taken down, masking his presence on a normal level as he followed them to school before calling in some people to take care of the Bloody Twins. Discreetly.

"Want a lift?"

Reborn looked down at the man who had stopped under the tree he had settled in. He considered this for a moment before mentally shrugging and jumping down to land on the Brit's shoulder.

"Good fight," Reborn commented as Harry set out for the Sawada household. "Hibari appreciated it."

"I noticed," Harry nodded. "He really isn't as bad as Tsuna makes him out to be. I thought I'd be facing down the devil going from what he said."

Reborn snorted. "Tsuna exaggerates everything, especially when he's scared of it, and he's scared of a lot of things, most of them he'll meet just getting out of bed."

Harry tilted his head thoughtfully. "Then he must be very brave if he's willing to face his fears every day."

Reborn glanced to the side, catching the serene expression on the Brit's face. Most people would just call Dame-Tsuna weak and be done with it after hearing something like that.

"Protecting Ryohei wasn't part of your job," Reborn said instead, changing the topic. He felt Harry shrug.

"No, but I'm not so heartless that I'd walk right by someone who needed help, especially a kid. Besides, the two I took down have been following me for two days. It was getting annoying."

Reborn smiled sardonically. If crushed bones were what Harry did to people who annoyed him, he'd hate to be the one who got Harry truly angry. Behind the kind... not facade because the compassion was at least genuine, but perhaps only one of the faces that the Brit showed the world, Reborn was starting to see a more vicious side behind the friendliness Harry usually displayed.

"You told Hibari about them," Reborn pointed out needlessly. "He'll go after the rest."

Harry smiled again, an edge of something darker in the expression. "Then he'd better be ready for whatever will be waiting for him."

Reborn tilted down his fedora, thoughts drifting back to his own student. Tsuna would have to be ready too.

 

* * *

 

Shamal almost fell out of bed when Harry's bedroom door slammed open and he was on his feet and barrelling out into the living area in a matter of seconds.

"What's going on?" He barked, pulling on a shirt as he kept one eye out for danger and the other on Harry who was peering out the window.

"Someone's tripped my wards at Tsuna's place," Harry replied tersely. "I'm just wondering whether or not Reborn will have it taken care of by the time I get there."

Shamal frowned, pulling on a pair of pants over his boxers. He was used to these 'wards' that Harry often spoke of; his partner had used them every time they had to stay in one place for a job and the few times enemy assassins tried to sneak into their rooms had ended very unpleasantly for them.

"Do your teleport thingy then," Shamal said, holding out a hand expectantly. Harry stared back. `What? I heard about it from the kid you're protecting."

Bemusement was clear on Harry's face as he bypassed Shamal's hand and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"'Teleport thingy'," He repeated under his breath, laughter clear in his voice, and before Shamal could muster more than an indignant squawk, the room disappeared and they were jerked away with a crack.

 

* * *

 

"Re- Reborn, what's going on?" Tsuna whispered nervously as he huddled behind the couch that Reborn had instructed them to push in front of the stairs. Beside him, Gokudera and Yamamoto, both whom had stayed for a sleepover, were holding their weapons in front of them, tense and ready. Tsuna's mother was upstairs, presumably – hopefully – still sleeping, along with the kids. On the other hand, Bianchi had vacated the house for the night since she had misplaced her goggles and Gokudera couldn't stick around without fainting every time Bianchi entered a room.

"Quiet," His tutor ordered in a voice that brooked no arguments. The hitman had woken them all up a few minutes ago, informing them of an enemy outside before telling them to prepare. Tsuna had panicked of course but Gokudera and Yamamoto had taken it in stride and all he could do was follow them downstairs.

"Reborn," Tsuna tried again. "Can't you get rid of whoever's out there? If they're that dangerous-"

"I promised the Ninth that I wouldn't interfere," Reborn interrupted sharply. "Now  _be quiet_."

"Don't worry, Jyuudaime," Gokudera assured. "I'll blow them up before they get one foot through the door."

Tsuna didn't even have time to wail in despair as a quiet click told them the front door had been unlocked. The door swung open on almost soundless hinges, only to reveal-

"A bird?" Gokudera said in disbelief as they all stared at the canary. "What the heck is a bird doing here?"

Tsuna sighed in relief. Maybe Reborn had been mistaken-

"Don't let your guard down," Reborn was frowning at them. "You never know what might happen."

"It's coming in," Yamamoto finally spoke up, looking uneasily at the doorway as the bird swooped inside. It slowly fluttered forwards before stopping in the air in front of them and all three teens stared at it, waiting for something to happen. Tsuna tilted his head when a silvery glint in the bird's claws caught his eye and he leaned forward for a closer look.

"Tsuna, move!" Reborn's voice cut in again, harsh and commanding, but before Tsuna could react, Gokudera had thrown himself sideways on top of the brunet, using his body as a shield as the bird dropped what it had been holding and the hallway exploded.

That bird was carrying a bomb!" Gokudera shouted, no longer staying quiet. "Are you okay, Jyuudaime?"

Tsuna nodded shakily as the bomber hovered worriedly over at him. The bomb hadn't been that powerful, and as the smoke cleared up, he was relieved to see that the hallway was still relatively intact.

"Y- Yeah," Tsuna looked around. "Where's Yamamoto? Is he okay?"

"I'm fine, Tsuna," Yamamoto coughed as he clambered to his feet. "Man, toys these days get more real all the time."

Not even Gokudera bothered correcting him this time.

"Jyuudaime," The bomber fingered his dynamite. "I think we should bring the fight outside. It will give us more room to manoeuvre and keep the house safe as well."

Tsuna nodded again and they all rushed outside, skidding to a halt when they found the front yard flooded with yellow birds.

"What the hell?" Gokudera glared furiously at the flock. Each of them was hovering in the air, the glint of metal clutched in their feet almost glowing in the dim light of a nearby streetlamp.

A soft clapping echoed in the area and they all focused on the figure entering the front gate. He was wearing a hat and round glasses, and had one of the creepiest smiles Tsuna had ever seen plastered on his face. His Kokuyo uniform blended neatly with the night's shadows.

"Bravo," The man complimented, hands clasping over the handle of a wooden cane as he came to a stop several feet in front of them. "You managed to dodge one bomb. But how will you fare against all these?"

"We'll just have to take all of them down then!" Gokudera snapped heatedly.

"Hiiee!" Tsuna lunged forward and latched onto Gokudera's arm before the bomber could hurl his dynamite. "Gokudera-kun, you'll set off all of them and they'll definitely damage the house! Kaa-san and the kids are in there!"

Grudgingly, Gokudera backed down, seething at their helplessly as Yamamoto's eyes sharpened with rare disapproval beside him.

"What now, Tsuna?" The baseball player tapped his bat against one shoulder, eyes darting around for an opening.

"W- Why are you asking me?" Tsuna was nearly hyperventilating. If any of those bombs hit the house, it might hurt the occupants inside. "We just can't let them past us, no matter what!"

"You got it, Jyuudaime," Gokudera nodded determinedly as Yamamoto's smile widened and he readied his bat.

The man chuckled. "You don't have a hope of stopping all of my birds and the three of you aren't my targets anyway. I came for the boy, the one with the ranking talent. Mukuro-sama has need of him."

Tsuna gritted his teeth, protectiveness for Fuuta keeping his fear at bay. "Y- You can't have him."

The man looked amused. "Well, perhaps this will convince you."

As if on cue, three of the yellow birds swooped towards them and Tsuna shrank back instinctively even as Gokudera leapt forward and threw a handful of his smaller dynamite at the group. The resulting explosion rocked the yard and Tsuna could only spare a moment to feel sorry for the birds before five more dive-bombed them from above.

"I got it!" Yamamoto called out cheerfully, and a blade was suddenly in his hands but instead of cutting through the birds – Tsuna was sure he would've thrown up at that – the teen simply sliced at the very tips of the birds' wings.

"I read somewhere that some birds' wings are clipped," Yamamoto explained as the birds wheeled dizzyingly to the ground, dropping the tiny bombs on the grass where they went off without harming anyone. "It doesn't hurt them or anything and that should work on these guys."

Tsuna nodded anxiously; that sounded like a better plan than killing all of them even though there would be a lot of canaries to clean up after this.

His breath froze in his lungs when he heard his mother's voice from behind him. "Tsu-kun? What's all this noise? You'll bother the neighbours if you're camping out at this hour."

"Kaa-san, don't come outside!" Tsuna yelled back, panicked. A modicum of relief swelled inside him when Reborn's voice came from somewhere in the house.

"Mamma, the boys are trying to build a bonfire by themselves. They'll be embarrassed if you go out and see all their failed attempts."

"Oh my, I better stay inside then. But do tell them to tone it down a bit, okay?"

A moment later, Reborn appeared, a gun – not Leon; Tsuna had seen the state the chameleon had been recently – in hand.

"You heard her," Reborn reminded. "Keep the noise to a minimum."

"We're dealing with bombs here!" Tsuna threw his hands in the air. "How are we supposed to keep the noise-level down?! Ow!"

Reborn had kicked him in the head and was now surveying the singed front lawn. "You can start by being quiet."

Tsuna grimaced as he rubbed his head but settled down a little when Reborn continued speaking.

"The Ninth sent me a letter recently," The hitman, despite his prior claim of not interfering, shot a bird out of the air when it got too close. Tsuna cringed. "I've told you that these people are convicts. His orders are for you to capture the escaped inmates and I'm not supposed to fight, so you and your Family are on your own when you confront their leader and men, understand?"

"But you're fighting now!" Tsuna protested.

"I'm shooting at birds," Reborn corrected mildly. "And defending civilians. That, I can do."

Tsuna opened his mouth to argue this point some more but twisted around in alarm when Fuuta appeared in the doorway, rubbing one eye sleepily with Lambo and I-Pin stumbling after him.

"Tsuna-nii?" Fuuta mumbled. "What's going on?"

"Fuuta, get back inside!" Tsuna lunged for the startled boy just as the entire remaining flock of canaries forewent the bombs and converged on them instead, pecking at them with staggering ferocity.

"Damn it!" Gokudera cursed from somewhere on Tsuna's right. "Stupid birds! I can't aim at anything like this!"

"Me neither!" Tsuna could just make out Yamamoto struggling against a cloud of yellow bearing down on him. "This is crazy!"

Tsuna didn't have time to reply as he held onto Fuuta, who was finally awake enough to realize he was in some sort of danger, and was clinging onto the brunet with equal force. Lambo and I-Pin were hanging onto Tsuna's legs and Tsuna had no idea how to protect them like this. He had lost sight of Reborn already.

The birds parted and Tsuna suddenly found himself face-to-face with the old man again, the canaries closing behind him.

"I'll be taking the boy off your hands," The man said in a cajoling tone of voice.

Tsuna swallowed hard and only tightened his hold on Fuuta. "No. He's not going with you."

The old man's smile widened threateningly and somehow, the cane in his hand was suddenly a long knife and Tsuna backed away, dragging the kids with him.

"I don't really mind drawing some blood to get what I want," The man said, an eerie gleam entering his eyes. "In fact, I prefer it."

Abruptly, he shot forward and Tsuna yelped and fell to the side, the blade slicing a thin line in his cheek as it passed.

"Hiiee! Stop! Wait!" Tsuna shrieked, scrambling backwards. He watched in horror as the gleam in the man's eyes sharpened and blood began trickling from his nose.

"Oh, I do like startling others," The man crooned, readying his knife again. "It's so exciting, don't you think?"

"I think you're nothing but a sadistic pig," A familiar voice interrupted placidly. "And that's my charge you're threatening."

Tsuna could only watch with wide eyes and an unhinged jaw as the birds around them dispersed when a red light slashed through them, not inflicting any visible injury but dropping the canaries like flies anyway.

And then Harry was there, striding into the yard with his hands in his pockets and, in Tsuna's opinion, looking far too calm for the situation. Behind him, Shamal was directing a cloud of mosquitoes and downing the canaries that Yamamoto and Gokudera were struggling with.

The old man tensed and his smile stiffened. "Ah yes, the mysterious British foreigner. You're the one who took down the Bloody Twins. They were my men, you know."

"They were pretty weak," Harry shrugged, coming to a stop beside Tsuna as the occupants of the yard came to a standstill. Tsuna suddenly found his arms empty as Fuuta ran to Harry's side, hands latching onto the Brit's arm. Harry just smiled reassuringly down at the boy before focusing on the old man again.

"Why help these kids?" The old man enquired silkily. "I'm sure you have better things to do."

Harry shrugged again. "I'm being paid for it. I'll do just about anything if I get paid and it's not too troublesome."

The man's eyes narrowed. "If you give me the kid, Mukuro-sama would-"

"That's not going to work," Harry interjected. "I'm not into the whole betrayal game. It's too much trouble, and frankly, you disturb me. This Mukuro must have... unique tastes if he's willing to hire you and your batch of yellow-feathered friends."

Gokudera snorted from somewhere behind them and Tsuna heard Yamamoto smother a laugh in a cough. Tsuna himself wasn't sure whether or not it was safe to relax just yet but Harry's presence went a long way to calming him down and he had enough brain cells left to gather a crying Lambo and an anxious I-Pin into his arms.

"That's too bad," The old man raised his knife and Tsuna flinched when electricity crackled to life around it. "I may not have my birds but I'll be more of a challenge than the twins."

"Stay here, Fuuta," Harry ordered, gently shaking the boy off, and then he was stepping forward to meet his opponent as the man sprinted towards him.

Tsuna cried out a warning even as Harry dodged the first strike and delivered a kick that sent the man flying backwards. He almost swallowed his tongue when Harry motioned for him to get up.

"Come on," And there was a firm look in his history tutor's eyes that drew Tsuna forward, no matter how reluctantly. "How are you going to protect your family if you don't learn from each obstacle you face? You've begun picking up some hand-to-hand, haven't you?"

Tsuna spluttered. "I- I can't do this without the Dying Will bullet at the very least!"

"You can't rely on that all the time, right?" This last bit was directed at Reborn who was observing everything with great interest. Tsuna only freaked out even more when his tutor nodded in agreement with Harry and suddenly found himself pushed forward.

"Wait, I can't fight against that- that knife!" Tsuna was grasping at straws and he almost cried when Harry just nodded thoughtfully before darting forward and somehow wrenching the weapon from the shocked old man, who was just picking himself up from his spill in the hedges.

"There you go," Harry flicked the weapon towards Reborn who caught it expertly and somehow tucked it away. Tsuna couldn't figure out why two people who could clearly take down the enemy and his birds blindfolded were both refusing to help out.

"And don't interfere," Harry said to Gokudera and Yamamoto who both looked to be itching to step in. "Have some faith in your boss."

To Tsuna's chagrin, this instantly made both his friends stand down and Yamamoto even gave him a bright smile as Gokudera shouted encouragement.

Why did everyone think he could actually take down an escaped convict?!

"Tsuna," Reborn cut in. "Calm down. I don't make you run laps and practice basic katas for nothing."

Tsuna gulped but took a deep breath, trying not to cower when the old man laughed. He hated fighting this man had attacked first and he had been threatening Tsuna's friends and family. That was something he couldn't forgive. If the convict really had managed to get Fuuta...

His body was moving before his brain could process it. Ducking out of the way as his opponent darted forward with a taunt and a punch, Tsuna lashed out blindly with a fist, subconsciously falling into one of the katas Reborn had drilled into him, and was more than a little surprised when it connected. He was even more shocked when the old man stumbled back a few steps.

Of course, to his embarrassment, he just had to ruin it by yelping at the sting in his hand after the impact and he flushed a little when Reborn heaved a resigned sigh. And then he had no more time to be embarrassed as the old man rushed towards him again, no longer smiling, and Tsuna tripped back from a blow to his jaw but managed to dodge a kick that would've probably knocked him out. His next few punches missed but a fumbling kick managed to connect with the man's knee, making him stagger, and a spark of pride flickered in his chest when he caught a rare flash of approval on Reborn's face.

Apparently, that was enough for the old man. He couldn't get to Fuuta and most of his birds had been taken down. A quick right hook that made Tsuna weave to the side was enough of an opening for the convict to make a run for it. Unfortunately for him, Gokudera and Yamamoto were already there to stop him, the latter tripping him up with his bat and the former slamming him against the wall with one raised foot.

Panting, Tsuna rested his weight on his thighs as Reborn moved forward to handle the clean-up.

"Good job," Tsuna glanced up to find his history tutor smiling down at him. "Looks like Reborn's lessons aren't just for show."

Tsuna sighed heavily as he straightened. "I don't like fighting though."

For the first time since Tsuna had met him, Harry's expression took on an almost sorrowful edge as one of his hands came down gently on the teen's head.

"Sometimes," Harry explained softly. "Fighting is the only way to protect the people you care about. Even when you don't want to, sometimes, the only choice in front of you if you want to protect your loved ones is to fight, and it's better to be prepared for that than the alternative."

With a last tousle of his hair and a smile, Harry returned to Fuuta's side, scooping the nine-year-old up with ease and leaving Tsuna to do the same with Lambo and I-Pin.

Tsuna absently comforted the two kids until Lambo was just sniffling and I-Pin was almost asleep again.

" _Sometimes, fighting is the only way to protect the people you care about."_

That was something Tsuna could agree with. Harry had said 'the people you care about', not 'your Family' as Reborn was prone to repeating, because as much as his tutor tried to drive that point home, Tsuna could never place a Family above the people he cared about, above his friends and  _family_. And if he had to fight for his friends and family, well, he might still hate fighting, but fighting for that reason was something Tsuna thought he could do.

At this point in time though, he still had no idea that that was exactly what Reborn was trying to teach him.

 

* * *

 

"They'll be coming to us then. Since Birds failed as well, Vongola Decimo will be looking to capture the rest of us."

"And what about Potter, Mukuro-sama?"

"Are you doubting Mukuro-sama, Chikusa? That man doesn't stand a chance against him!"

"I am not doubting anyone but we know next to nothing about him. Ken said he took down the Bloody Twins in less than five seconds."

"I didn't mean Mukuro-sama or any of us would have difficulty with him, Kaki-pi! We're stronger than those idiots and they were underestimating him anyway!"

"Enough. I will be more than enough to deal with this... Potter. Leave Decimo to me as well. You can take down the rest. I won't need the boy and his rankings if I have Decimo."

 

* * *

 

It hadn't taken long for Tsuna and his friends to hear the rumours going around about Hibari heading off to Kokuyo to face the person behind the attacks on the Namimori students. After Reborn reminded them all of the Ninth's orders, it had taken even less time for Tsuna, Gokudera, Yamamoto, and even Ryohei to head over to Kokuyo themselves.

"Will you come?" Reborn asked as he waited with the patience of a saint for Tsuna to wrap up his panic attack and resign himself to going after the escaped convicts.

Harry arched an eyebrow at him. "Fuuta isn't going and he is the only one I am contractually obliged to look after."

"That's not a no."

"It's not a yes either."

Reborn huffed, the sound coming out in a mix of amusement and exasperation.

"Suit yourself," He leapt down, planning to kick Tsuna into gear to speed things along. "You know where we'll be."

Harry was the unpredictable sort, Reborn mused as he headed over to his student. The Brit had just as much a chance of following them as he did of staying behind. Even Reborn wasn't sure which option Harry would choose.

 


	6. Issues of Trust

 

"Fratellone?"

Harry glanced up lazily from the book he was reading at the slightly nervous-looking boy standing in the doorway of the Sawada living room. "What is it, Fuuta?"

The Italian shuffled into the room. Harry put down his book, swatting at the yellow fluffball that had refused to leave him alone ever since Birds and his birds (Harry sincerely hoped the man had come up with that name on his own and his parents weren't the ones who had stuck him with something that unimaginative) had been taken care of. Most of the canaries had been delivered to the nearest bird habitat and or released into the wild but the one currently bobbing somewhere at the corner of Harry's eye simply refused to go away. Harry hadn't named it; he was hoping the thing would lose interest and fly away on its own.

"Tsuna-nii and the others are going to fight whoever it is that sent that bad man to kidnap me yesterday, right?"

Harry frowned a little, leaning forward on the couch. "Yes. But you needn't worry; I'm sure they'll be alright."

Fuuta didn't say anything for a moment but Harry waited out the silence patiently. It didn't take long for the boy to start fidgeting again before blurting out, "Can't you go with them, Fratellone? Just to make sure they'll be alright?"

Harry propped his chin in one hand. "I don't do that sort of thing, Fuuta. Life would get pretty hectic for me if I poked my nose into everything I find remotely interesting. Most of the time, I just work for money."

He sprawled out on the couch again, throwing an arm over his eyes as the sunlight outside momentarily caught his gaze.

"Like Reborn-san paid you to protect me?"

Harry paused before slitting his eyes open and glancing sidelong at the boy. "Are you upset?"

Fuuta's response came back at once. "No, because you would've protected me even if Reborn-san hadn't asked."

This startled a huff of laughter out of Harry as he shifted his arm to get a better view of the nine-year-old. "Oh?" His mouth tilted up into an amused smile. "That's a lot of confidence you have in yourself."

Fuuta shook his head. "I think you're more like Tsuna-nii than anyone else thinks. Maybe more than even you think. You look after the people you care about."

Harry was still smiling but it felt more frozen than anything else. He finally closed his eyes again and let his arm drape back over them. "That's a rather curious observation. Do you have any proof?"

"Yup," Fuuta countered almost cheerfully and Harry stiffened subtly when he heard the boy's footsteps recede and the front door open. "I'm going after Tsuna-nii and the others, Fratellone. I need to make sure they're alright."

Harry jerked up, alarmed, and was on his feet in the blink of an eye. "Fuuta!" He snapped as he strode to the door and jerked it open again, only to find Fuuta still standing on the other side, hands clasped behind his back and an innocent smile on his face.

Harry gave him the evil eye. Over six thousand years old and he had been tricked by a nine-year-old.

"I have my proof now," Fuuta chirped. "Please look after Tsuna-nii?"

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "And if I don't, you'll go running off after them so that I'll have to go too?"

Fuuta nodded solemnly.

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, ran through the half a million ways he could put a stop to this right now, dismissed them all in the face of the boy's puppy-dog eyes, and nodded at last. "Fine, but  _only_  if you stay here. No coming after me, no going after Tsuna, no  _anything_  but staying here, understand?"

Fuuta nodded earnestly and hurried back into the house, all but shoving Harry out in the process. "Be careful."

Harry just sighed again and reached out to ruffle the boy's hair. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'll see that they get back safely."

With a last half-stern, half-exasperated look at the beaming smile he received, Harry turned and disappeared on the spot without a sound.

 

* * *

 

Strolling in like he owned the place just didn't have the same effect when there was no one there to see it but Harry didn't particularly feel like jumping straight into a fight today so he took his time and bypassed a Point-Me Spell in favour of following the distant sounds of battle instead.

Absently kicking a loose rock, he blinked and then pulled out his phone when it buzzed. Only one person had this number. "Yeah?"

_"Where are you?"_

Harry glanced up at a nearby sign, rusty and faded. "In front of the Ferris wheel, why?"

 _"...You went after them."_  It wasn't a question.  _"I thought you might."_

"I was conned," Harry informed him, kicking another rock into the air.

A snort.  _"Nobody can con you into doing anything you don't want to do."_

Harry grinned. "True, but I was bored and I already finished the book I was reading."

A sigh drifted over the line this time before Shamal continued on a more serious note,  _"Listen, I had a run-in with that Hibari brat earlier. He attacked me-"_

"Why?"

_"I might have been flirting with one of the girls on her way to school-"_

"I thought I told you to stay away from them."

_"I was off school property! But that's beside the point. The boy attacked me and I retaliated with a mosquito before I could stop myself. It shouldn't do much harm; it was the Sakura-kura illness, and none of those are in bloom."_

"I see," Harry glanced absently at the looming building ahead.

"Be careful what you wish for," He murmured before responding in a louder voice, "I'll be sure to clean up your mess if Hibari-kun gets caught up in any cherry blossom trees."

" _Lecture duly noted. Do you want me to come along? I'm sure I can skip out of work for a bit."_

"No, I'll be fine. Nothing here should give me too much trouble."

" _I don't doubt that. Keep an eye on Hayato for me then, will you? That boy always gets into so much trouble."_

"Sure thing. It's why I'm here anyway. I'll make sure they all get out in one piece. And alive. That's important too."

" _You have the weirdest sense of humour I've ever seen in anyone. Just make sure you get out alive as well."_

"No worries there. Like I said, nothing here is going to put up much of a challenge for me."

" _Alright, I'll see you later then. Some brat just walked in with a black-eye. Honestly, kids these days."_

Harry chuckled as he hung up. Judging by the explosions rocking the ground, Gokudera was at least close by, which meant that the others were around as well, but it was that building that set off his senses and it was where he headed now.

Slipping in wasn't hard. There weren't any defenses to speak of unless one included the thick dust covering the place. Which was weird because there weren't even any footprints Harry could see. Someone had covered their tracks well.

He glanced behind him when the rusty door swung shut with an ominous creak and almost laughed out loud. Talk about cliché.

He meandered on, not minding the smell of musty wood and dirt. He had smelled much worse.

A bundle of yellow fluff suddenly fluttered in through a broken window above his head and Harry snorted softly. "I thought I managed to lose you."

The bird chirped smugly and settled on Harry's shoulder without further ado. Harry rolled his eyes and continued down a dark hallway. "Pull your own weight then. You've been through this place before, haven't you? At least with your previous master?" He stopped when the hallway branched off. "Which way should I go?"

The canary chirped again before taking off, gliding down the left passageway. Harry smiled, following it deeper into the building. He hadn't been this entertained in a long time.

It wasn't long before he came to a stop at the entrance of a decrepit-looking room and, stepping inside, immediately noted the seemingly empty stage. It looked like he was in a theatre of some sort.

The bird flitted back to his shoulder as Harry approached, not stopping until he was in the middle of the room. His magic, so used to sensing danger, had already picked up the very real presence on the stage.

"Hello," Harry greeted amicably as he took another glance around before focusing on a spot a little to the left. "I'm guessing you're the host of the party outside?"

There was a pause, and then reality seemed to warp before steadying again, and Harry found himself face-to-face with a heterochromatic-eyed teenager with blue hair. His right eye was red, and Harry caught the number one in it before it blurred back to a six. He was fairly tall and was wearing the Kokuyo uniform as well. Harry idly noted the confident smirk on the boy's face and the trident he held in one hand.

"Kufufufu, so you saw through my illusions. I suppose I shouldn't expect anything less from the man who defeated three of my toys."

Harry cocked an eyebrow as he used one foot to right a chair before sitting down in it. "'Toys'? Is that how you view them?"

The teen's smirk grew. "Of course. All people are toys, tools to sacrifice when necessary."

"Hmm," Harry crossed his legs as another muffled explosion reached his ears. This looked like it would take a while. He might as well get comfortable. "An interesting way to look at it. But what about their thoughts and feelings? They follow you freely, don't they?"

"Redundant," The boy dismissed, sitting down as well on the edge of the stage. "So long as they have their uses, emotions are negligible. And I'm hardly going to get attached simply because they decide to align themselves with my goals."

Harry blinked thoughtfully at the boy. So young, and yet he had such a cynical view of the world.

When Harry said nothing more immediately, the teen looked slightly taken aback, his smirk faltering almost unnoticeably. "Will you not argue the point?"

Harry offered a half-smile. "Should I? It's what you think, isn't it? I'm not so invested in you to try to talk you into changing your way of thinking. Too troublesome for me."

If anything, the boy looked even more puzzled, as if he didn't know what to make of Harry, but the expression was gone in the blink of an eye and that self-assured smirk resurfaced again. "I see. Then what exactly are you here for? I sense no killing intent. You are not here to fight."

Harry inclined his head in agreement. "The kid you've been trying to kidnap; he's under my protection. He wanted to come here himself to make sure Tsuna and the others don't die. I couldn't let him come, so I'm here in his place."

The teen raised an eyebrow. "So you are here to put a stop to my actions before I can kill your friends?"

Harry shook his head, leaning back in his chair. "I'm not here to stop anyone, necessarily. I'm just here to make sure nobody dies. Or worse."

The teen looked almost curious now. "You believe there is something worse than death?"

Harry smiled again, razor-sharp and humourless. "There are a lot of things that are worse than death."

The words sounded menacing in the gloom of the theatre but neither of them reacted outwardly. The boy stayed silent, a calculating look in his eyes, while Harry glanced around again before enquiring, "So who are you anyway? The mug shots I got showed Rokudo Mukuro as... well, he's very different from you."

The cocky smirk was back as the teen nodded. "Yes, one of my better works. I can't have my face scattered across the globe before I succeed, can I?"

Harry eyed the boy – Rokudo Mukuro – inquisitively. "You've mentioned that before – goals – what are they?"

"You think I'd just tell you?" Mukuro countered.

Harry shrugged. "We're not doing much else right now, are we? You don't have to tell me. It was just a question. I'm sure the answer is much more complicated."

Another silence ensued but it was surprisingly... not comfortable, but not awkward either.

"Who are you?" Mukuro asked abruptly, his trident dipping absently. "There are no files that connect back to you. You are, for all intents and purposes, a ghost."

Harry had to chuckle at that. "A ghost, huh? Maybe that's all I am – a ghost, cursed to walk the worlds for eternity."

Mukuro sneered. "How poetic. Excuse me if I don't believe you."

Harry tilted his head. "Oh, nobody does, not really. In fact, very few ask at all. Afraid of the unknown and all, humans are."

The teen drew himself up and Harry had to suppress a smile at the flash of  _child_  still existing beneath all the layers of forced maturity. "I am hardly afraid. I have already seen all there is to see."

Harry uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, propping his elbows on his thighs. "That's a boring way to live life, don't you think? If you've already seen everything, there's not much point to continue on, is there?"

A slight frown had made its way onto Mukuro's face. "What does that matter?" He scoffed. "There is no point in this insignificant world, nothing worth seeing. That's why I want to destroy it."

Mukuro stopped and stared at him, clearly expecting him to gasp or shout or  _react_  but Harry had heard worse,  _seen_  worse, and only blinked back at the teen.

"What if you do find something worth seeing then?" Harry challenged, and he watched Mukuro's frown deepen ever-so-slightly. "Something to look forward to. A  _point_."

Another explosion, the closest one yet, rocked the building and Mukuro's smirk slid back onto his face as if it had never left.

"I won't," He said confidently as he slipped off the stage onto his feet and raised his trident.

Harry sighed and quirked a wry smile at the teen. "Well then, destroy away. But I should warn you: the people you're about to fight are under my protection. Take it too far," His eyes hardened. "And I will stop you."

"Not if I stop you first."

The six in Mukuro's right eye blurred and became a three, and a mass of snarling dogs and hissing snakes suddenly appeared, surrounding Harry as Mukuro ordered, "Kill him."

 _:Stand down,:_  Harry commanded, seamlessly slipping into Parseltongue, and the snakes abruptly pulled back, obviously confused. But reptiles always listened to him, no matter which world he was in. Snakes, especially, obeyed him without question.  _:Leave.:_

The snakes backed off, slithering away into the darkness, leaving the dogs for Harry to contend with.

Most animals, predators to be exact, attacked or ran away depending on one thing only: whether or not they were stronger. Animals were good at sensing strength, and, unless it was crazy or backed into a corner, no animal would attack something stronger than it.

Without a word, Harry flooded the room with just enough magic, just enough raw power, to warn the wild dogs off but not enough to smother. The snarls slowly faded into whimpers and their tails and bellies lowered to the ground, ears flattening as they backed away.

"How did you do that?"

Harry glanced up at Mukuro, who looked torn between frustration and fascination. Grinning as he finally rose from his chair, he wandered back towards the door.

"Stick around for a while and maybe I'll tell you one day," He suggested over his shoulder, just as the opposite side of the room exploded.

Tsuna and his friends were here, and with Reborn watching, nothing drastic should happen any time soon. He had to go look for Hibari next; a Point-Me Spell would do the trick.

 

* * *

 

Kyouya's head jerked up sharply when he picked up quiet footsteps heading in his direction. Those cherry blossoms had weakened him significantly and his ribs grated painfully every time he moved but there was no way he would let anyone take him down without a fight.

The lock on the metal door clicked and Kyouya heaved himself to his feet just as it swung open. His eyes widened minutely when a familiar black-haired foreigner stepped in but didn't lower his guard. Those cherry blossoms, as real as they had felt, had been illusions. This one could be a fake as well.

Green eyes pinned him in place, scanning his injuries with experienced ease before Potter scolded him mildly, "When I told you they were from Kokuyo, I didn't actually mean for you to rush off without finding out more about them first."

Kyouya stared at him for a moment longer before a tiny flicker of relief sparked in his gut. The momentary respite proved to be detrimental because the muscles in his legs, already protesting, decided to give out the moment his concentration wavered, and he was falling before he could brace himself again.

"Whoa," Gentle hands caught him by his uninjured shoulder and eased him down the rest of the way. "Careful. I suppose I shouldn't have been fooling around earlier."

Kyouya wanted to scowl and pull away. He  _never_  let anyone this close, but Potter wasn't a threat and the man didn't annoy him as most people did. And his ribs were really giving him trouble.

He shifted, trying to get into a more comfortable position, but a light hand against his chest stilled him.

"Hold still," Potter instructed, and before Kyouya could blink, warmth flooded his body, spreading out through his limbs and soothing away the pain. He coughed a little and was more than a little surprised when nothing was jarred. He could almost feel his ribs mending themselves. Looking down, he caught the faint glow of golden light streaming from Potter's hand.

The heat slowly faded but left a trace of that warmth behind, warding off the cold previously settled under his skin.

All at once, Kyouya realized he was leaning against Potter's arm and quickly straightened into a sitting position, twisting around to fully take in the Brit. "What did you do?"

Potter withdrew his hand, getting to his feet again before dusting off his jeans. "Healed you. You should be fine now."

Kyouya's eyes narrowed and he pushed himself up as well, pleased to find his injuries gone but suspicious of this random act of kindness. "Why?"

Potter looked faintly exasperated. "Does there have to be a reason?" At Kyouya's warning look, the man explained, "My partner accidentally dosed you with the Sakura-kura illness, by way of mosquito. You might have noticed your weakness against them. I'm guessing Rokudo Mukuro used them against you."

Kyouya's jaw tightened. When he was finished here, that doctor herbivore would be bitten to death.

"I apologize for that," Potter ran a hand through his hair, the already messy locks falling even more haphazardly around. Kyouya thought he might have caught the faintest shadow of a scar when the man's bangs were momentarily pulled back but it was covered up again too quickly for him to be sure.

Kyouya grumbled silently. Potter had healed him so he supposed he couldn't touch the man's partner. Now that he thought about it though, perhaps his first question should have been  _how_  Potter had healed him, but somehow, after he had seen that doe-eyed herbivore and his friends pulling bombs and cannons out of nowhere and that baby who most certainly wasn't  _just_  a baby with his guns and secret hideouts, not to mention the pineapple herbivore's illusions earlier, nothing seemed impossible anymore.

"Hibari-kun?" Potter peered down at him, looking concerned. "Are you alright?"

Kyouya nodded curtly and turned to scan the room as he had several times already. His tonfa had been taken away and his spare sets were at home.

"Here,"

Kyouya glanced back and almost did a double-take at the gleaming silver metal dangled in front of him. There was just no way he could've missed a pair of tonfa being carried on Potter's person.

But obviously, he had.

"Go on, take them. I certainly have no need for them." Potter held them out and Kyouya slowly accepted, hands closing on the familiar weapons.

They looked... just as expertly-forged as his own tonfa did. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that his tonfa had other weapons installed in them, he would've thought-

A slight, accidental twist of his wrist opened the head of the weapon and sent a tiny dart flying out, and Potter just managed to tilt his head to avoid it before it embedded itself into the wall behind him. Ice instantly spread outward in the shape of a large claw and extended about a foot on all sides before stopping.

Kyouya stared, and then turned back to Potter with a look of mild disbelief. The man was beaming at him as if Kyouya had made Christmas come early.

"Do you like it?" Potter asked almost eagerly. "The mechanics are a trade secret but after sparring with you last time, I got to making these since I had time on my hands and nothing else to do. The darts won't run out and ice isn't the only thing they produce, though I'll let you figure them out."

Kyouya wasn't sure whether to thank him or check him in to the nearest mental hospital. What kind of person would give a teenager – so he was a teenager who knew how to fight; _still_  – deadly weapons?

"Consider it an apology on behalf of my idiot partner," Potter continued.

"You healed me," Kyouya informed him flatly. "We're even."

Potter waved a dismissive hand. "The healing was for not coming earlier. I could have, but I was having a chat with Mukuro-kun."

Kyouya felt irritation well up inside him just from hearing that herbivore's name but said nothing as he expertly twirled his new tonfa. The excuses Potter had come up with were weak at best; the man had had no obligation to come help him in the first place, but...

Well, Kyouya  _really_  wanted these weapons.

A ground-shaking explosion made them both look up.

"That must be Gokudera-kun," Potter told him. "Tsuna and the others are here as well."

Kyouya frowned. Namimori students should not be here, especially ones who had to rely on that peculiar bullet the baby always fired. And it was just... degrading for  _anyone_  to fight in their boxers. Yamamoto Takeshi and Sasagawa Ryohei might be alright but the other herbivore with the dynamite was still too hot-headed in a serious fight.

He glanced down at his new weapons again before turning his gaze on the man standing patiently next to him, frame still relaxed despite everything else.

"...Thank you," He said shortly before stalking out the door, receiving a smile in return. He had never been one for verbal gratitude, or any gratitude at all, but Potter deserved that much.

"Will you fight?" He questioned over his shoulder as they headed towards the battle.

"Only if absolutely necessary," The answer floated back. "I'm just here to make sure everyone gets out of this alive. And tell me honestly; did I come here at a bad time or is this town always like this?"

Kyouya didn't need any clarification as he scoffed, "No. I believe the baby brought most of this madness with him. My job has been much harder recently."

A yellow ball of fluff flitted at the corner of his eye and Kyouya turned to frown at the bird fluttering around his head.

"Oh good," Potter fell into step beside him as the canary settled on the finger Kyouya held out for it. "He likes you. Maybe now he'll stop following me around."

Kyouya slanted a half-suspicious look at him, mentally sighing at the cheerful smile he received, but let it go. He didn't... mind small animals. Judging by the amused gleam in Potter's eyes, the Brit knew it too, but he had the decency not to bring it up and the two continued on in silence, the bird soaring ahead and acting as a guide.

"I think I'll take a back row seat for this one," Potter spoke up as they turned another corner and Kyouya caught movement up ahead. "Don't worry about the Sakura-kura illness; it should be out of your system by now. But still, be careful."

Kyouya only gave him a cursory look before moving on. He had seen this man come and go from his school and around the town for many weeks now but he had yet to understand him. Potter Harry could fight; he could attest to that himself, and he didn't seem to have a high aversion to it like Sawada Tsunayoshi did, but the man simply didn't fight unless something – and Kyouya still wasn't sure what that something was; it certainly wasn't strength alone since he had seen him freely spend his time with weak herbivores – caught his interest.

The oddest of things caught his interest. Kyouya had seen Yamamoto Takeshi treat Potter to sushi and then the man would waste the rest of his afternoon watching the teen practice his swings with his baseball-bat-turned-katana, sometimes even giving pointers if a wrong stance or a too-high-elbow caught his eye. Other times, he would  _play_  with those kids staying at Sawada's house, for hours at a time; hide-and-seek, tag, anything that came to those children's minds. And then once in a while, just when Kyouya had labelled the man as someone who actually enjoyed all the chaos that was the Sawada household, he would find Potter napping under a cherry blossom tree or dozing on the school roof (and for some reason, Kyouya had never actually tried to chase him off, satisfying himself with the excuse that Potter wasn't disturbing anyone and ignoring the blaring fact that he technically wasn't supposed to be on school grounds at all).

Potter simply did anything he wanted, so long as it interested him enough. He most definitely wasn't a herbivore, he could but chose not to be a carnivore, and an omnivore just didn't... fit. There was always something  _more_  about the man, something in his eyes that spoke of sharp cunning or his smile that hid a more vicious nature than the cordiality he showed. Something hidden and dangerous but, for some reason, didn't put him on guard the same way the baby or even Potter's partner did.

Kyouya didn't understand but that didn't mean he wouldn't keep trying until he figured the man out in the end.

 

* * *

 

"Jyuudaime!"

Tsuna tumbled backwards and looked up at Gokudera's frantic call in time to find a trident descending towards him.

They had all come to Kokuyo to put a stop to the attacks and to  _apprehend_  the escaped convicts, as Reborn had put it.

The first person they had bumped into, M.M., had, after a few rounds of literally lethal explosions, been soundly defeated by Bianchi and Ryohei, their combined long- and close-ranged attacks working surprisingly well on her clarinet.

They had met Lancia next, whom they had all thought was Rokudo Mukuro at the time, but a combination of Reborn's last Dying Will bullet and Tsuna's intuition had revealed the truth. The battle had taken a toll on them though, and while Tsuna was glad they had managed to give Lancia back his control over his own mind again, they had been interrupted by another convict, Kakimoto Chikusa, who had knocked Lancia out before he could reveal any of the real Mukuro's plans.

They had finally tracked Mukuro here to what looked like an amphitheatre and while Tsuna and his friends outnumbered Mukuro and what seemed to be his two closest allies, the convicts were obviously more experienced and skilled.

And at the moment, Tsuna was in trouble. There was no time to dodge and everyone else was busy with Mukuro's animal summons or illusions, or Ken, or Chikusa. With death a terrifying second away, Tsuna could only squeeze his eyes shut and throw his arms in front of him.

A clash of metal against metal made him open his eyes again, and his mouth dropped open when he realized who had cut in. "Hi- Hibari-san!"

Indeed, it was the prefect who had blocked the oncoming trident, pushing Mukuro back with ease as his tonfa glinted in the dim light. The older teen didn't look too bad; the only thing remotely cut up was his jacket, which had fluttered to the ground in the impromptu collision.

"Herbivore, stand back," Hibari ordered. "You're useless on the floor."

Tsuna winced at the harsh words but scrambled away as told. His eyes widened when Hibari twirled the tonfa and a handful of darts shot out of them, missing Mukuro by inches as the convict leapt away. What really shocked him were the tiny explosions of fire that blossomed on impact and left a black imprint of a flower-shaped burn behind. Glancing back, Tsuna couldn't quite understand the pleased surprise on the prefect's face.

"So you managed to escape," Mukuro was saying, trident pointed at Hibari. "Or should I say you had help?"

Help? Tsuna frowned in confusion as he finally pushed himself to his feet. Hibari didn't bother answering, leaping towards Mukuro with single-minded deadly intent instead.

"Are you going to cower back here while your Family fights for you, Tsuna?" A voice enquired sharply, and Tsuna turned a hassled expression on his tutor.

"Well what am I suppose to do?" He demanded uncharacteristically as he dodged a flying piece of wood. "I can't- I can't fight like this!"

"You were fine against Birds yesterday," Reborn pointed out pitilessly.

"Harry-san was there!" Tsuna wailed as he rolled out of the way of a wayward set of needles from Chikusa's yo-yos.

"And you think he's not here right now?" Reborn asked, and Tsuna froze in surprise.

"W- What?" He looked around. "He's not here."

Reborn snorted. "He's around. I saw him earlier with Hibari. But he won't cut in unless it's necessary."

A shout cut into their conversation and Gokudera and Bianchi went crashing into the far wall.

"And  _that_  doesn't count as necessary?!" Tsuna almost shrieked when they didn't get up right away, only to get a kick in the shin, courtesy of his tutor.

"Well I'm certainly not going to do anything if you aren't," A calm voice cut in from behind him, and Tsuna jumped a foot in the air. He was sure there had been no one behind him just a moment ago.

"Harry-san!" He wilted a little under his history tutor's cool gaze. Harry had that effect on just about everyone. He was friendly and easygoing most of the time but when that disappeared and you were pinned in place by that detached, steady,  _timeless_  gaze, you simply couldn't look away. There was never any judgement in it, but it still made you think, made you look over your actions and really consider them. Tsuna had, perhaps, been lucky enough not to warrant that look until now, but he couldn't help feeling a sting of shame and guilt as he watched the battle raging around him.

"Instead of thinking 'you can't' all the time," Harry said, and he had reverted back to that mild composure again. "Why don't you try thinking 'you can'? What can you do right now? And the answer had better not be 'nothing'."

'Nothing' had actually been the first instinctive thought that had popped into his head and he flushed with embarrassment. To take his mind off that, he hastily looked around again. He couldn't activate his flames without the Dying Will bullets and while he had been working on his katas, it wasn't enough here...

But.

In one of the history lessons – so full of intrigue and personal opinion and questions, always questions, encouraged from both tutor and students – at home, one of the battles Nobunaga had been in had had him and his men cornered in an enclosed area, backs to the wall, but the ceiling of the building they had been in had been weak and Nobunaga had managed to pull it down on their unsuspecting enemies with a few sword strokes to take down the wooden beams holding up the structure.

Tsuna had no sword and Yamamoto was busy pushing back Ken, but there were ropes draped here and there and, no doubt, rotting planks of wood above. And nobody was paying any attention to him...

With a rare determined set to his expression, Tsuna ducked back into the shadows and hurried off. A few tugs of the ropes in the right places would bring part of the ceiling down, and the wood wasn't even too heavy to fatally injure their opponents.

It just might work.

 

* * *

 

"I'm going to be out of a job if you continue this," Reborn said lightly as they watched Tsuna scurry around the fights and clamber onto a chair to reach the ropes.

"Oh, I'm sure he's better off with you in the long run," Harry replied with a crooked smile. "You're the one who helped him gather his Family after all. Besides, are you complaining? He's finally starting to think for himself."

"That's a definite bonus," Reborn agreed, tilting his fedora up. "I thought it would take at least another few months before he started thinking of ways to fight that don't include the Dying Will bullets."

They both paused and glanced at Leon when the chameleon glowed even brighter.

"Why did you come?" Reborn enquired as they watched Mukuro and Hibari cross weapons with mild interest. "And where did you get those weapons?"

"Fuuta tricked me," Harry summarized promptly, before a teasing grin spread over his face. "And that's a trade secret. Why? Jealous?"

Reborn huffed, more amused than annoyed. "You have a lot of trade secrets. And darts that create fire and ice on impact? I'll admit to some curiosity."

Harry merely laughed softly. "Only curiosity? I guess I'll just have to try harder to impress next time."

They moved away simultaneously when Yamamoto managed to force Ken back several feet, over to their corner, and, as if on cue, Tsuna yanked the ropes that unbalanced the planks above the convict, sending debris raining down on the startled blond.

"Good one, Tsuna!" Yamamoto cheered as he hurried forward to bring the hilt of his sword down against Ken's temple, knocking him out.

Tsuna offered a weak smile back before yelping at the spray of needles Chikusa sent his way. Ryohei suddenly jumped in front of the attack, a plank of wood held in front of him to shield himself from the needles before the boxer lunged at the convict again, a focused frown creasing his brow.

"He's a bit more careful," Reborn observed before glancing sidelong at his companion. "Your doing, I suppose?"

"Ah, he must've taken something I said to heart," Harry smiled almost fondly at the boxer currently shouting something extreme.

Reborn nodded and then winced inwardly when Yamamoto was tossed back by one of the wild dogs Mukuro had summoned, cracking his head against the wall and slumping to the ground, unconscious. Neither Gokudera nor Bianchi seemed to be getting up anytime soon and Ryohei just managed to get a punch in before one of Chikusa's yo-yos smacked him in the head, dropping him like a sack of potatoes. Luckily, Chikusa was too distracted to see the ceiling coming down on him before it was too late.

"He's pretty good," Harry commented approvingly.

Reborn smirked with similar appreciation before glancing at Leon again. "It's ready. Here's where the real fight begins."

"I'll make myself scarce then," Harry announced, already slipping away. "Wouldn't want to be a distraction."

Reborn watched him go before loading the Rebuke bullet into a healthy Leon and picking up the newly-formed mittens. Time to see if his student really had what it took to become a Vongola boss.

 

* * *

 

Under the combined attacks of both Tsuna and Hibari, Mukuro didn't stand a chance, not even with the Possession bullet he had pulled out at the last minute. The convict didn't go down without dealing his own fair amount of damage though, injuring Hibari again and exhausting Tsuna to the point of collapse.

Harry had listened with blank features when Ken and Chikusa, who had woken just before the Vindice crashed the place, spat out the whole sorry tale of the Estraneo and their childhoods. Harry had remained silent throughout, eyes focused on Mukuro as the teen sneered at his allies' –  _friends'_  – words and lashed out verbally when Tsuna attempted to sympathize.

And then the Vindice had appeared, and Harry had tensed. Their presence felt... evil to his magic. Evil, and... not dead, but not all the way alive either.

Subconsciously shivering now as shackles shot out to capture the three convicts again regardless of Tsuna's tired protests, Harry cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself and threw his Invisibility Cloak on for good measure before Apparating to Mukuro's side, mouth still curled into a condescending smirk despite his situation, eyes still narrowed in hate as the Vindice stalled in the doorway and cut down Tsuna's half-hearted objections.

 _~Still see no point to this world, Mukuro-kun?~_  Harry projected directly into the teen's mind, watching the convict start.

 _~...You are full of surprises,~_  Mukuro thought back, quickly figuring out how to communicate with Harry even as his eyes darted around the room.

 _~I've heard as much,~_  Harry agreed, crouching down next to the prone boy but not revealing himself.  _~Tsuna is too, you know. Full of surprises, I mean.~_

They both listened to Tsuna's voice, thready with fatigue but still arguing on the convicts' behalf.

 _~He is a foolish boy,~_  Mukuro scoffed derisively.  _~Naive and stupid. We are criminals. Evil.~_

 _~You've certainly done some bad things,~_  Harry agreed, gaze focused on the mismatched pair that had stopped looking for him now.  _~But far from evil. I've seen worse. Much worse.~_

 _~...I saw that much in your eyes,~_  Mukuro thought back, calmer now, and Harry thought that that must be why the teen hadn't attacked him with everything he had in the beginning.  _~But I will destroy the mafia. Do you think me incapable of such a thing when you look into mine?~_

Harry's jaw tightened when the Vindice started moving, dragging all three teens along the ground and ignoring Tsuna now. This wasn't something he could interfere in. Oh, he could certainly steal all three convicts, and, if he was fortunate, the Vindice would send out their guards en masse to look for the culprit. If he was unfortunate, the Vindice would still send out their guards en masse but to wipe out Tsuna, his friends, and even the Vongola, who would all take the blame for the escape. Either way, it would cause too great a stir in the mafia world, not to mention something about the Vindice unsettled Harry, something that hadn't happened in a long time.

 _~Will you not answer?~_  Mukuro demanded, heels digging in weakly as a trace of desperation entered his thoughts.

Harry glanced back down at the teen as he rose and kept pace with him.

 _~I see the necessary resolve,~_  He finally murmured.  _~The potential to cause the destruction you speak of is there. But a part of you, however small, yielded to Tsuna's resolve, if only for a split second.~_

Mukuro seemed to have stopped breathing, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

 _~But most of all,~_  Harry continued quietly.  _~Most of all, I see loneliness. And you can deny it however much you want, Mukuro-kun, but you can't fool me.~_

He didn't receive a response, not that he had been expecting one, but just before the Vindice dragged the three convicts fully out of sight, Harry stooped down again and brushed a hand against the boy's forehead, sending a thrum of magic into him and forming a connection between them.

Mukuro jerked a little at the contact but stilled again when Harry whispered, almost too soft to be heard, "It's not much, but I'll talk to you whenever you want. Just call for me; I'll always answer."

And then they were gone, the mist clearing and the groans of the waking teenagers becoming clearer as Harry turned back to the remaining individuals in the building.

With a sigh, he dropped the Disillusionment Charm and tucked his cloak away. Shamal was going to chew his ear off for bringing him so many kids to heal.

 

* * *

 

Mukuro didn't contact him right away, and again, Harry didn't expect him to.

After all was said and done, and the kids, sans Hibari, were all settled in a private wing of the hospital, Harry had shadowed the limping prefect home before vacating town for a few days. He had never liked staying in one place for too long – it made him feel caged – even when he had still been relatively normal and not the Master of Death. Shamal was used to his occasional absences so Harry knew he wouldn't be missed if he disappeared for a while.

Apparating to the outer shores of Japan and perching on top of an outcrop of rock amidst the spray of the ocean ensured Harry some privacy. He had even brought some snacks along, just in case he got hungry and didn't feel like hunting down an open store at this hour.

It was a rather hectic world he had landed himself in. He really wouldn't even be here if he hadn't heard of the Arcobaleno from Giotto several jumps back and all those years ago.

Not minding that the water had soaked through his shoes and halfway up his jeans, Harry leaned back on his hands and stared up at the darkening sky.

What was he doing, really? Why was he staying with a couple of teenagers and a perverted doctor when his reason for coming to this world in this dimension was to find out, to put it bluntly, what made the Arcobaleno tick?

Sure, he enjoyed everyday life here; it was the most excitement he'd had in decades. But it was times like these, when something significant happened, when Harry knew the event wasn't quite over and half of him wanted to get involved while the other half wanted to leave before he truly started, Merlin forbid,  _caring_.

It was the bane of his immortal life. Care too much and it would be that much harder to part ways, hurt just as badly when the humans he interacted with either died or shunned him for his lack of growth or feared him for his abilities. He was fairly certain this bunch wouldn't do either of the latter two but the first...

If Harry got even more involved in their issues, he probably wouldn't leave until they were either killed or died of old age. It was why, several hundred years back, he had finally vowed to always leave after a maximum of five years, no matter what. He had already spent a year with Shamal and a few months with Tsuna and his friends here in Namimori; he hadn't even started researching the Arcobaleno.

But still, he hadn't had so much  _fun_ , felt as if he actually  _belonged_ , just a little, in a very long time, not even back then with Giotto and Alaude and everyone else, though he had been rather happy with them.

He supposed he didn't  _have_  to keep to his five-year rule. He could always leave them after five years but stick around in this world and do some research on his own. Surely five years wasn't enough time to get attached.

He might have dozed off for a bit because when he opened his eyes, the sun was rising again and a seagull was peering at him curiously but mostly minding its own business. Harry sometimes found himself losing track of time; time wasn't much of an issue when you had forever.

He spent the next several hours wandering the beach, ignoring the prying stares he got when all he did was meander up and down the coast all day. He grabbed a sandwich for dinner and settled himself back on the rock; the ocean was actually very peaceful to listen to.

It was approximately three – or maybe four – days later when Harry got back to Namimori, still dripping wet after being caught by an oncoming wave that was stronger than he had expected but quite cheerful overall.

It wasn't quite two-thirty in the afternoon, school just about to let out, so Harry Apparated straight to the front gates of Namimori, absently tugging at his salt-encrusted jeans. They were a new pair after he had changed out of the last ones. Cleaning and drying spells just weren't the same. Maybe Shamal would have an extra set of clothes in the Nurse's Office and he wouldn't have to make a trip back to the hotel.

"Where have you been?"

Harry looked up in surprise. Of all the people he had expected to greet him first, it hadn't been Hibari.

"Hello there," He greeted as the frowning prefect stepped out from the shadows of the school gates. The teen must have been doing his rounds. He noted with a passing smile that Hibari was still using the tonfa Harry had given him. "Just out and about. Have you healed well?"

The prefect didn't even deign this question with an answer, obviously knowing that Harry would be able to assess any remaining damage himself. Instead, his eyes narrowed as he stopped a few paces in front of Harry.

"You've been to the ocean," Hibari accused. "Only  _minutes_  ago."

"Hmm," Harry nodded agreeably. "Yes, it's rather nice this time of year."

Hibari glared at him. "There  _are_  no oceans around Namimori."

"That, I'm perfectly aware of, Hibari-kun," Harry said amicably, not giving anything away just to tease the boy. Honestly, Hibari was just so easy to tease, especially since he was pretty sure that the prefect didn't mind too much if only Harry was around.

A yellow ball of fluff soared down towards them and landed on Hibari's shoulder, cheeping merrily as they made their way into the school.

"He's still around, huh?" Harry raised an eyebrow at the bird. "Have you named him?"

Hibari grunted, still casting suspicious glances in Harry's direction but letting the matter drop. "Hibird."

Harry chuckled. "I suppose it fits."

They continued on in silence until they reached the Nurse's Office, and then Hibari turned on his heel and headed off without so much as a by-your-leave. Harry smiled fondly after the teen before slipping inside the office, immediately catching sight of his partner at his desk.

"Hey, Shamal," He greeted distractedly. "Do you have a change of clothes lying ar-"

"Finally!" Shamal interrupted, all but leaping out of his chair and scowling at Harry's bewildered expression. "I've told those brats and even Reborn about three dozen times that you'd be back soon but they just won't stop nagging. Did you  _have_  to leave without at least dropping a word first?"

Harry stared at him for a moment before recovering his equilibrium. "You know I sometimes disappear for a bit," He said placidly.

"Yeah, I know that, but they don't," Shamal finally turned and opened a cabinet, digging out a fresh set of clothes for him. "And after the whole Rokudo Mukuro issue, even I thought you had-"

The doctor cut himself off as he turned back, handing him the clothes with an uncomfortable frown. Harry took them but made no move to stop studying his partner.

"I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye at the very least." He eventually said.

Shamal rolled his eyes and shoved him behind a curtain before snapping it shut. "I know that. But I worry sometimes. Even after a year, I still don't know what you're looking for. And yeah, I know you're looking for something, it's a bit obvious. But... we're partners now. If you get a lead or anything, you can't just run off alone anymore."

Harry paused in the middle of shrugging off his shirt before continuing. "...What if what I'm looking for is dangerous? And illegal?"

Shamal snorted. "I'm an assassin. Dangerous and illegal is part of my job description."

Harry tugged on the new pair of jeans before pulling back the curtain and staring the doctor straight in the eye. "What if it involves the Arcobaleno?"

Whatever Shamal had been expecting, it had not been that, and Harry watched the usually unruffled assassin pale a little, his eyes widening before flickering to the window that faced the direction of Tsuna's house.

Harry smiled thinly, busying himself with folding his dirty clothes. "If that's going to be a problem, it's probably best we-"

"That's not dangerous or illegal," Shamal interjected quietly, crossing his arms as he leaned against his desk, a rare somber look on his face. "That's suicidal."

Harry's smile only grew. "I can assure you, suicidal isn't going to be a problem for me."

Another minute of silence ticked by as Harry finished up and stretched. "Well, I suppose I should be going then-"

"For the third time that day, Shamal cut him off. "I've known Reborn for quite some time, but personally, I don't know much about the Arcobaleno at all. I can ask some of my contacts if they know anything about them though. They can be discreet."

Harry couldn't hide his genuine bemusement this time and a small but somewhat smug smile curled at the doctor's mouth. "I told you, we're partners now. Understand?"

Harry quirked an eyebrow at the expectant look on Shamal's face. "Yeah, understood."

 


	7. Stories and Reality

 

To say that the teens and children had been worried about him and had been upset about his absence was an understatement. Harry had been mobbed the moment they had caught sight of him in the Nurse's Office, where, apparently, they had taken to visiting after school to bug Shamal about his whereabouts during the past few days.

Harry couldn't quite understand why they had been worried; he hadn't gotten so much as a scratch on him during the altercation with Mukuro yet even Reborn seemed mildly displeased. It took quite a while to assure them that he was fine and that he wouldn't skip town like that without at least leaving a note first – what was he, twelve? – before Harry could satisfy their concerns.

And now, it seemed, it was Reborn's turn to lecture him.

"You have a responsibility to teach history to Tsuna now," The hitman pointed out.

Even Harry was hard-pressed to hide his annoyance. "You pay me on a lesson-to-lesson basis. I could skip town today and I wouldn't be leaving any responsibilities behind."

A dark gleam flashed in Reborn's eyes, the one he used to frighten most people into complacency when it came to drawing them into the Vongola or whatever latest scheme he had cooked up. Unfortunately for him, Harry wasn't most people.

In a split second, the genial facade Harry had put up until this point disappeared and he slanted a frigid gaze on the startled hitman.

"Do not mistake my lack of protest towards all this mafia business for agreement, Reborn," Harry said coolly, voice flat and frozen over. "I may play nice with all the goings-on in the Vongola but I am not part of that Family, nor am I remotely allied to it. Keep your manipulations focused on the others because I will not allow you to drag me into your little games."

Reborn had become very still, a calculating look now levelled back at Harry. They stared at each other for a long minute but it was Reborn who looked away first, pulling his fedora down as he released a short resigned sigh. By the time he looked up again, Harry had plastered his affable mask back on again.

"What if Tsuna asks you to join one day?" Reborn enquired after giving the serene expression on Harry's face a dubious once-over.

Harry shrugged, relaxing again now that Reborn had, silently, agreed to back off. "I don't like getting attached to anything. Sooner or later, I really will skip town. Of course, I'll say goodbye first, but I'm not planning on making any long-term commitments."

Reborn was watching him appraisingly now. "...You didn't answer my question."

Harry just smiled at the Sun Arcobaleno before pushing rising to his feet. "If Tsuna asks, I will turn him down."

"He might change your mind," Reborn called after him as Harry headed for the office door.

Harry didn't reply, only waving a hand in the air before disappearing out the door. Tsuna could ask all he wanted; Harry wouldn't –  _couldn't_  – say yes.

 

* * *

 

Shamal couldn't help glancing surreptitiously at his partner from time to time as Harry prepared the set of notes for his next tutoring session. A part of him still couldn't believe what he had been told earlier.

He hadn't been lying when he had said he didn't know much about the Arcobaleno but he hadn't been telling the whole truth either. He hadn't told Harry that it had been him who had wiped Reborn's old life, erasing most of what had made the hitman  _Reborn_  when he had still been an adult. It wasn't as if he had seen the Sun Arcobaleno's memories though. The mosquito he had used locked away what its target wanted. If Reborn ever asked, Shamal could just as easily unlock it all.

But going up  _against_  the Arcobaleno was... unheard of. The Arcobaleno had always simply existed. Nobody ever asked the hows or whys or whens; they were just there, a phenomenon in the mafia world that no one questioned.

And now his own partner wanted to do exactly that and the only thing Shamal was sure of was that he couldn't let Harry go digging into the Arcobaleno's past alone, no matter how strong he knew the Brit was. There was a reason nobody questioned the Arcobaleno, even if no one actually knew what that reason was.

He glanced at his partner again and then blanched when he found a pair of amused green eyes staring back.

"Something wrong, Shamal?" Harry enquired, pushing his notes away and stretching languidly.

Shamal shot him a sheepish look before sprawling back on the sofa. "Just thinking. ,,,What  _are_  you looking for anyway?"

He hadn't expected an answer but he was still disappointed when Harry only hummed noncommittally in reply.

"What do you think of the Arcobaleno, Shamal?"

That came as a surprise.

"What do you mean?" He sat up again, curious now.

Harry shrugged, turning in his seat to face him fully. "I mean, they're technically adults stuck in the bodies of two-year-olds, unable to age until... well, they can't be the only Arcobaleno to ever exist, so until the next batch are found, or made, or whatever. They keep their adult abilities and I hear they've all got one special skill, but what do you think of that?"

Shamal leaned forward on his thighs, idly playing with his empty coffee mug. "It's called a curse for a reason. Honestly, I feel sorry for them. Never aging and it looks they dance to someone else's tune, which is even worse." He flashed a grin. "And being stuck as two-year-olds; really hard to get a girl that way."

Harry snorted but it lacked the lightness that usually accompanied his actions. "Well, maybe I'll get lucky and break the curse."

Shamal's eyebrows shot up in shock. "...I can't say I've ever heard anyone saying something like that."

"Yes, well, I highly doubt you've ever met anyone like me."

That, Shamal could wholly agree with. "But that's not what you're looking for."

Harry shook his head and got to his feet, moving over to the kitchenette to start dinner. "No. I'm looking for something a bit more complicated than that."

Shamal couldn't imagine anything more complicated than the mystery behind the Arcobaleno but pushed it aside for now. Harry would tell him when he felt like it.

"Anyway, I've been thinking," He pulled out a few printouts he had looked up. "Staying in a hotel long-term is seriously expensive. You want to move into an apartment?"

Harry looked thoughtful and didn't immediately turn him down as he wandered over to peer at the apartments Shamal had looked up.

"I'd like a larger place," Harry said at last. "Just in case any of the kids need a place to stay."

Shamal had to laugh at that. "Whatever happened to keeping your distance?"

Harry scowled back good-naturedly as he moved away again when the kettle shrilled. "Have you seen the state of Gokudera-kun's apartment? It's a mess, and it's tiny. And no fourteen-year-old should be living alone. Actually, I don't think it's even legal."

Shamal sighed, scratching his head. "I'd invite him to come live with us but he'd sooner throw dynamite in my face than accept."

"Can you blame him?" Harry asked pointedly, and Shamal couldn't help wincing. He hadn't been the best of mentors to Hayato.

"You could ask him," He suggested hopefully instead. "He'll listen to you."

His partner arched an eyebrow at him but didn't contradict him. At the moment, the only people higher than Harry on Hayato's list of People Worth Respecting were Tsuna and maybe Reborn.

"If he's coming to stay with us, then there has to be rules," Harry told him, slanting a warning look at him. "First rule: no women over for sex."

Shamal twitched. Damn, did Harry always have to be so blunt? "Fine; I probably traumatized Hayato enough when he was a kid anyway. If I get a date, I'll keep it out of the house."

Harry nodded, and then paused before amending, "Unless she's serious. Then you can bring her over."

Shamal scoffed. "Not going to happen."

Harry grinned. "You never know. Second rule: ...well actually, that's it. I don't have a second rule. Just keep your perverted tendencies out of the house and we'll be fine."

"Great," Shamal flipped through the selection of apartments. "You have any preferences? Or should I choose?"

"You choose," Harry called back. "I don't really mind. Just make sure it's large enough for the three of us plus a few more. And wait until the summer break to move so it won't interrupt their schoolwork. That's only a few months away. I'll leave the details to you."

Shamal nodded absently, eyeing one apartment in particular. It had multiple rooms and the living area was huge. Pretty big for a two-story place, and it even had a loft. The colour scheme would need a little work; the white could be replaced with a soft brown maybe and the landlord could be paid to look the other way. He'd have to check out the fire escapes and other escape routes though that shouldn't be a problem. Kitchen, several bathrooms, high off the ground since it was a suite apartment. They wouldn't have to worry about snipers shooting them through the windows, never mind the fact that Shamal would be ordering bulletproof glass at the first opportunity and Harry would be warding the place so that it would be fit for a visit from the Prime Minister himself.

Perfect.

 

* * *

 

"Gokudera-kun."

Hayato started in surprise before spinning around to find Harry standing by his gate. He brightened and quickly locked his door before hurrying down to meet the man.

"Harry-sama, good morning!" He greeted, joining the Brit on the sidewalk as he shouldered his schoolbag. The morning air was still a bit chilly but he always woke up early so he could accompany Jyuudaime to school.

"Good morning," Harry smiled at him as they moved down the street. "Last day of school before the summer break. Excited?"

Hayato shrugged self-consciously. "My summers have always been, er, well, not that different from the rest of the year. I was homeschooled. Even Shamal came to the mansion to teach me so I never had much reason to do... summer things."

He chanced a glance up and was relieved to see no pity, even though he knew Harry wasn't the type to feel sorry for people. He didn't want that anyway.

"Well, it'll certainly be different this year," Harry remarked. "I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun with Tsuna and the others, and Reborn will most likely have some insane training planned."

Hayato beamed. "Yeah, I can't wait. We'll be going to the beach since Jyuudaime said he wanted to learn how to swim when Reborn suggested it."

They shared a wry secretive smile, both knowing that Reborn's suggestions weren't anything of the sort. While Hayato normally wouldn't even  _think_  his boss had been forced into anything, he could acknowledge it around Harry who was very good at keeping secrets and wouldn't tell a soul. And if Jyuudaime was  _really_  being forced into anything, Hayato was sure he would have help making whoever it was that blackmailed his boss suffer.

"There is something else, actually, something for you to do this summer," Harry started, and Hayato frowned in puzzlement at the slightest of hesitations he heard in the man's voice. "Shamal and I have been thinking of moving into an apartment. Keeping the hotel room is too expensive in the long run, and if we're going to stay here for a while, we might as well pick a nicer place."

Here he paused and drew out a piece of paper to pass to Hayato. Hayato blinked down at the apartment depicted on it.

"If you want, we'd like you to move in with us," Harry offered quietly, and Hayato breath hitched as he halted on the sidewalk.

Was Harry offering him a home?

"I mean no offense," Harry continued, and Hayato's head shot up in alarm. "I know you can take care of yourself better than most fourteen-year-olds but Shamal and I would both feel better if you cane to live with us. You wouldn't have to pay rent but that's not to say it's charity or anything; we've certainly got enough room and then some. I just thought-" Harry shrugged carelessly though his eyes remained focused on him. "You always say 'I'm going back to the flat' when you leave Tsuna's house, and just now, you said 'the mansion' and not 'my home'. I just thought maybe you could try calling our apartment home for a while." A crooked smile. "At least until Tsuna's ready for you and the others to move in with him."

The last comment brought an unbidden smile to his lips but it was the fact that Harry had  _noticed_ , noticed something Hayato had eventually resigned himself to, that he didn't really have a place to call home – and while he was glad to stay by Jyuudaime's side, it just wasn't the same, not yet – that brought a foreign sting to his eyes.

"Yes!" He blurted out, and then blushed and stammered, "I mean, yes, I'd like that, and no, I know it's not charity, not from you, I-"

He was relieved from his babbling when a gentle hand came down on his head and ruffled his hair. He almost glowed at the affectionate smile Harry directed at him.

"Okay then," Harry said as they started walking again. "There are still some things we have to talk over with the landlord but we should be ready to move in about a week. That should be enough time to notify your landlord and ask Tsuna and the others to help with the move, right?"

The automatic protest that Jyuudaime shouldn't have to move anything died on his lips when he remembered that his boss was his friend first and that it was okay to ask, as Harry was prone to remind him when the older man took him training and they took a break in between just to talk about anything that came to Hayato's mind. Hayato hadn't even told Jyuudaime about the training sessions, not in detail anyway. Harry didn't train anyone else, not specifically, and he wanted to keep them to himself, hoard those afternoons selfishly, as ridiculous as it sounded.

"Right, thanks," Hayato nodded fervently as Jyuudaime's house came into sight, and then, after a second's uncertainty, steeled himself and quickly gave Harry a fleeting, awkward hug. He was halfway down the street before he glanced back to assess the man's reaction.

The rare surprise he glimpsed on Harry's face was worth the embarrassment.

 

* * *

 

Harry watched with no little amusement as Gokudera bickered with Yamamoto as they carried boxes into the new apartment. Tsuna and Ryohei were near the windows, staggering under the weight of a new sofa Shamal had purchased yesterday. Fuuta, I-Pin, and Lambo were all running around exploring the place while Reborn was observing from his perch on the loft railing. Even Nana was here, currently stocking up the kitchen before starting on dinner.

"Thank you,"

Harry glanced to the side and smiled at the young woman next to him. "There's nothing to thank me for. Shamal and I are glad to have him here."

Bianchi shook her head ruefully, adjusting her goggles as she leaned against the wall. "Still, no one's ever taken the initiative to invite him into a home. Our father's mansion was never that, for all that they shared the same blood."

Harry nodded, absently swirling the amber liquid of bourbon in his glass as his thoughts flashing back to a near-forgotten cupboard under the stairs. "Yes, I can understand that."

Bianchi looked at him for a long moment. "You can, can't you? You're not just saying that."

Harry smiled faintly at her. "I never just say anything, Bianchi."

They watched the crowd squabble for a while longer before Harry downed the rest of his drink and waved a casual hand at the doorway that led to the bedrooms. "One of those rooms has your name on it, if you want it."

Without waiting for a reply, he ducked into the kitchen to help Nana with dinner.

When he came back out an hour later to call everyone into the dining room, he couldn't help smirking at the watery smile on Bianchi's face when Gokudera gruffly thrust a wooden plaque with the woman's name carved in it into her hands, one she promptly hung up on the door next to her brother's.

 

* * *

 

"When you said to get a bigger place so that we'd have room to put up a few extra people, I didn't think you meant  _all_  of them on the  _first_   _day_."

Harry snickered at the exasperation on his partner's face. "It's just today. No one saw the rain coming and it's late. Might as well let them stay."

Shamal just sighed and muttered something about kids and old age. Harry snickered again.

"Fratellone?"

Harry turned and spotted Fuuta wandering in, wearing a pair of his pajamas now shrunken down to the proper size – not that he let anyone know. Lambo and I-Pin trailed after him, both of them looking a little sleepy-eyed.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Harry asked as he allowed the boy to clamber into his lap, rolling his eyes when Lambo and I-Pin snuggled down on either side of him.

"Mm, can we have a story?" Puppy-dog eyes blinked back at him.

Harry twitched. "I'm no storyteller, Fuuta."

"Please?" I-Pin chimed in, as Lambo ordered loudly, "Lambo-san demands a story!"

Harry frowned, glancing up when he felt stares from all around the room. Nana was smiling knowingly, as if she knew Harry was going to give in sooner or later. Reborn was smirking with unconcealed amusement and Shamal and Bianchi were watching as well, thoroughly entertained. Tsuna, Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Ryohei, who had all been watching TV, were now looking at him almost expectantly. Honestly, weren't most of them a bit too old for bedtime stories?

"Nana-san-" Harry tried, but the woman was already shaking her head.

"I wouldn't mind hearing a story from you, Harry," Nana looked almost devious for a moment.

"But I don't know any!" He protested half-heartedly, wracking his brain for something that didn't start with 'Once Upon a Time' and end with 'Happily Ever After'. "I mean, what kind of story do you want anyway?"

"Something with magic in it!" Fuuta piped up instantly, and Harry sighed at the predictability. The boy had loved any and all magic tricks Harry had shown him.

"Something with adventure!" I-Pin requested eagerly, and then blushed a little before adding, "And maybe romance too."

"Yuck! Lambo-san wants fighting!" The Bovino declared after making a face at I-Pin's suggestion. "Something with action, and scary parts too!"

Harry raised an eyebrow at that. "Scary parts? Won't you get scared then? Especially before bedtime?"

"Of course not!" Lambo sounded affronted. "Lambo-san isn't afraid of anything!"

A muffled scoff came from Reborn, one that luckily went unheard by Lambo as Harry levelled a half-stern look in the hitman's direction. Reborn looked anything but repentant.

"I don't know any short stories we can fit in right now," He tried once more.

"Just split it up then," Shamal suggested, pretending not to see the betrayed look Harry shot at him. "Tell a bit now and then a little every week or so, after those history lessons of yours."

Harry sighed again, this time in defeat. "Magic, huh? And adventure, romance, action, and scary parts too. You people have high expectations."

He fell silent for a moment and thought back. Six thousand years of wandering the universe and he could still dredge up those early years of his life.

"Alright then," He said at last, and Yamamoto promptly reached over and turned off the TV. "I'll tell you a story of a hero who wasn't really a hero at all. A story of a boy who grew up a little too fast and accepted what life threw at him time and time again, fought because it was the only way to protect his friends and family, and fought even for those who didn't truly care about him, at first because he didn't know any better, and then later because he had no real choice in the matter."

He paused, brow creasing, wondering if his life story – really only part of it, but it was the part that literally made him what he was right now – would interest them, but even Lambo looked wide-awake, waiting for his next words. It was just his luck that even the youngest of his audience, for all his childish tendencies, was smarter than the average kid.

Harry sighed a third time before nodding decisively. "But the story begins shortly before the boy was even born, in a time of war and fear and suspicion, in an age where a man named Voldemort threatened to destroy the world."

 

* * *

 

_During this war, a man and a woman, still so young, not even in their twenties yet, but they were very much in love. They married almost immediately after graduating from school, and while they had to work hard to keep Voldemort and his men at bay, fought day and night for the Light side, they were still very happy._

_Of course, this was a magical war, a war fought with wands instead of guns, with hexes and curses instead of bullets and knives. But that isn't truly important, not right now._

_Returning to the couple; we shall call the woman Lily, and the man James. A few years after they got married, Lily and James had a child, a son. Let's call him... Hatori, to make it easier._

_At around the same time, a prophecy was made, one that put little Hatori in danger because it was said that he would be able to defeat Voldemort once and for all, and the family of three immediately went into hiding._

_They had one year, one glorious year of happiness together as a family should. But it didn't last. A close friend of the family betrayed them and on Halloween, Voldemort hunted them down and killed them one by one. Except Hatori, because when Voldemort turned his wand on him, the Killing Curse he was going to use backfired and destroyed him instead, for reasons no one yet knew. Little Hatori survived a curse no one had survived before, with only a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead to show for it._

_But back then, nobody really cared. Voldemort was gone and his men had fled. The war was over, they all thought, and Hatori became the Boy-Who-Lived, became famous for ending the war, for ridding the world of a monster._

_Hatori knew nothing of this though because he was sent away that very same night, by a man named Dumbledore, a powerful figure who fought for the Light and thought, rightly so, that Voldemort wasn't as gone as everyone thought him to be. So, for protection, so that he would remain hidden from the Wizarding world, Hatori was sent to his Aunt and Uncle, who were Muggles, non-magical people, in every sense of the word. And there he stayed for the next ten years._

_His Aunt and Uncle, Petunia and Vernon, did not treat him well though. As he grew up, he was small and thin from too little food. His Aunt and Uncle's son, Dudley, was lathered with affection, to an unhealthy degree, while Hatori was told that he was nothing but a burden to the family and was given chores upon chores to do. They told him nothing of his past, told him his parents were drunkards who died in a car crash, and because he didn't know any better, because he was still too young, he believed them. He was unhappy, but it was all his life amounted to, and he had no one else._

 

* * *

 

"Maybe I should stop," Harry mused after he all but ordered Yamamoto to finish some of his homework first before asking him – again – to continue the story.

"You started it," Shamal said lazily from his place at the counter. "You have to finish it."

"The story's too long," Harry informed him. "It will take forever to finish."

 _Literally_ , he thought ironically.

It had been a week since he had started and the kids had asked him, repeatedly, to continue.

"It has violence in it," He thought out loud.

Shamal snorted. "I-Pin's a five-year-old assassin and the cow kid has more weapons in his hair than Hayato has dynamite. Which he then uses to try to kill Reborn on a daily basis. I doubt they'll care. It's not like you're going to get graphic about it, right?"

Harry grumbled something unintelligible but didn't protest any further. He hadn't truly expected so much interest in his story.

 

* * *

 

_Strange things always happened around Hatori, things that no one could or would explain. Sometimes, plates would float back to their place on the shelves when Hatori was doing the dishes, or weeds would dig themselves up while he was doing the garden. Once, his teacher's wig turned blue, and another time, when Dudley and Dudley's gang of friends were bullying him again, Harry suddenly found himself on the roof of the school with no idea how he had gotten up there._

_And no matter what he said or how he tried to explain, nobody would believe him when he told them that he didn't mean to do those things, that he had no idea how he had done them, and his Aunt and Uncle would punish him each time. Missed meals, extra chores, confinement in his room, which was really just the cupboard under the stairs, became even more common as the years passed by._

_Eventually, Hatori was written off as a troublemaker and a liar, and his relatives encouraged these rumours. Soon, not even his teachers listened to anything Hatori had to say._

 

* * *

 

"Go play! Honestly, you're teenagers! Go to the arcade or climb a mountain or plot world domination or something! If I see any of you again in the next forty-eight hours, I'm not continuing the story!"

That said, Harry shoved them all out the door before slamming it shut behind them and turning back with a huff.

"'Plot world domination'?" Shamal repeated from the loft with no little amusement. "Teenagers do that sort of thing nowadays?"

Harry glowered up at him. Shamal had to suppress a chuckle. He hadn't ever seen his partner so ruffled before. Nothing like a handful of kids running underfoot to get even the most patient of men riled up.

"You'd be surprised," Harry grounded out. "Voldemort was a teenager when he first started."

Still irritable, the Brit stalked away to his bedroom, and Shamal graciously refrained from teasing him some more.

His smile ebbed somewhat as he ran over Harry's last words. Not many people would take examples from a story. Harry had said it as if...

Nah.

Shaking his head, he grabbed his coat and penned a note for Harry before heading out himself. He hadn't been on a date in a fair while and summertime always meant women in bikinis.

 

* * *

 

_And then ten years in, about a month and a half before Hatori's eleventh birthday, things changed. He received a letter._

_Hatori had never once in his life gotten a letter before, simply because there was no one out there who would want to write to him, so it came as a surprise when he found it on the doormat, with his name and his Cupboard-Under-the-Stairs written on the envelope in green ink._

_It was taken from him the moment Uncle Vernon saw it though. And while he saw the anger on his Uncle's face and the disgust on his Aunt's, his own resentment at having the first thing he had ever truly owned made him miss the fear that dawned in both of his relatives the moment their eyes landed on the letter._

_However, his letters continued to come, but his Uncle always took them away. That didn't matter though, because a month and a half later, at midnight on July 31st, Hatori's birthday, a man, big and burly but kinder than anyone Hatori had ever met, the first person who looked at Hatori and didn't see a burden, came to call._

_"You're a wizard," The man, Hagrid, told him. "The strange things you've done, accidental magic, are perfectly normal. Magic is real."_

_Everything his relatives had ever scorned and sneered at became reality, and Hatori, finally having read the letter that had found him again and again, an offer to attend Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, began to look forward to what the future would bring._

 

* * *

 

_~Why not simply kill the relatives?~_

Harry didn't so much as twitch when Mukuro's voice echoed down the magical bond that connected their minds. He had opened his end when he had started the story, hoping to relieve some of the young convict's boredom in his prison. This was the first time Mukuro had contacted him though.

The question wasn't so surprising either. It certainly fit Mukuro's way of thinking.

 _~He didn't have it in him back then,~_ Harry sent back promptly.  _~He was just a downtrodden little boy who thought no one cared about him. A part of him even thought he deserved the treatment after all the times his relatives had told him as much.~_

He could almost hear the sneer in Mukuro's thoughts.  _~How pathetic. They were obviously in the wrong. Even the most primitive of animals fight back when cornered.~_

Harry smiled a bit, eyes half-closed as he watched the trees above him sway to the wind, the summer breeze ruffling his hair as he lay on the park bench.  _~Ah, that may be so, but not when they've been taught the exact opposite all their lives, with no one telling them any different.~_

 _~I would have. I_ did _.~_

_~Then you certainly have a stronger will to live than little Hatori did. After all, even the most superior of animals only fight back when they have something to live for.~_

_~...~_

Harry didn't receive a response and, satisfied that he had given Mukuro something to think about, swung his legs off the bench and stretched the kinks out of his muscles before getting up, dancing away just as a metal tonfa slashed down beside him.

"Missed me," Harry grinned as he jumped away from another strike.

Hibari didn't give up, and Harry was suddenly dodging handfuls of darts that set off mini-explosions upon impact. The prefect had been practicing.

Hibari had taken to attacking Harry at irregular times over the summer when he wasn't patrolling Namimori or reluctantly wrapped up in one of Reborn's schemes. Harry didn't mind; it was good practice and Hibari had even treated him to tea a few times after their sparring sessions. In a more remote part of town at a small, old-fashioned restaurant but it was probably the most sociable Hibari had ever been and it was the thought that counted in the end.

Thirty minutes later, they were taking a break on the bench Harry had vacated earlier. It was nice to spend time with someone who didn't even have that speculative look in their eyes as they weighed the pros and cons of asking Harry to continue the damn story.

"Where are you from?" Hibari asked after a long but companionable silence.

Harry smiled. Hibari sometimes posed questions – only one each time when he did – and Harry always replied. The boy was still asking the wrong questions though.

"Surrey, in England, though I spent most of my teens in Scotland," He said. "Britain, basically, but you should know that already."

Hibari shrugged, got to his feet, and wandered off without a backwards glance. Truly, the kid reminded him of Alaude in many ways.

 

* * *

 

_Hatori was shown a whole new world as Hagrid took him shopping for his school supplies. Banks run by goblins, books on transfiguration and charms, cauldrons for potions, magic everywhere. He even got a Snowy Owl, named Hedwig, for a pet. Very useful since owls carry post in the Wizarding world._

_Of course, he also found out that he was quite famous, and it was an unsettling experience for him when people recognized him and came to shake his hand. He managed to get away soon enough though, and thought, perhaps, that fame really wasn't worth the attention._

_Back to the shopping trip; the last thing he bought was a wand, from Ollivander's. It took nearly twenty minutes to find a wand that fit; wands choose the wizards, you see. But with his wand came a revelation, one that sent a chill down Hatori's spine. Ollivander told him this, "It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather – just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother – why, its brother gave you that scar."_

_Hatori, still eleven, still a child for all that he had suffered over the past ten years, soon forgot the warning, at least for now. It would be several years later before he remembered what Ollivander had said. He had no idea that that little fact was what would one day save his life._

 

* * *

 

Reborn absently watched his student run around Mafia Land, Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Ryohei trailing after him as Colonello put them through their paces.

Harry had disappeared again, not that Reborn could blame him this time. Even Ryohei, who couldn't sit still for five minutes and couldn't stay quiet for two, had been eager to continue listening to the story Harry had been weaving for the past few weeks.

Sometimes, Reborn wondered if each of those kids – Tsuna with his intuition, Gokudera with his sharp intellect, Yamamoto with his instincts behind his laughter, Ryohei with his ability to grasp only the basic but perhaps most important of facts – saw, on some subconscious level, the distance in Harry's eyes when he told the story, the faintest touch of nostalgia in his voice, the shadows behind his smiles.

They weren't really aware of it, of course. And as far as Reborn was concerned, that story was – should be – just that; a story.

It was the logical conclusion; too bad even hitmen had hearts, not to mention Reborn's gut instinct was telling him the exact opposite.

But it was ridiculous to think any of the story was real. Magic wasn't real.

 _Says the person who's been cursed to live as a two-year-old,_  Reborn thought sardonically.  _And the storyteller has already admitted to having magic._

Well, not admitted, not exactly. If nothing else, Harry was a master of vague connotations and half-truths.

And in the end, it didn't really matter. The only reason he was questioning it was because of his curiosity. At the moment, he had more important things to deal with.

 

* * *

 

_The Hogwarts Express was at King's Cross Station at Platform 9¾ and could only be accessed by running through the solid-looking wall between Platform 9 and 10._

_Once he was through, Hatori sat quietly in the train, the gangly freckled boy sitting across from him also silent as they stared out into the dark beyond the window. Now Hatori had another friend, two friends in the span of a month; it wasn't something he had ever thought he would have._

 

* * *

 

_~Is it possible to open this mind link to Ken and Chikusa?~_

Harry blinked idly up at the wooden ceiling of the loft, only half-aware of the scritch-scratch of Shamal's pen on paper down below.  _~Worried about them?~_

 _~Hardly,~_  Mukuro scoffed loftily.  _~But Ken is getting more and more restless each day we are confined here. It is irritating.~_

Harry smiled knowingly but followed the connection to Mukuro's mind before reaching out to his two friends as well.

 _~We are not friends, Potter,~_  Mukuro sneered, having caught the stray thought as it passed. The teen was getting quite good at it.

 _~Call me Harry,~_  Harry suggested as he had several times before. He blocked out Ken's confused babble of thoughts and the quiet hum of Chikusa's mind.

 _~It's a ridiculous name,~_  Mukuro said. Harry didn't mind the insult; it was the first time Mukuro hadn't simply ignored his request.  _~Plain and bland.~_

 _~How about Hadrian then?~_  Harry offered.  _~It's the name on my birth certificate.~_

 _~...It is moderately better,~_  Mukuro allowed grudgingly.  _~Roman descent, is it not? The name of a Roman emperor. And at least it can be traced back to Northern Italy through a Latin line.~_

Harry had to suppress a laugh.  _~You have an interest in history, Mukuro-kun?~_

A shadow of amusement fluttered down the link.  _~There are only so many plans of destruction I can make at any one time.~_

Harry really did laugh at that.

 

* * *

 

_The Sorting Hat was taking a long time to decide his fate._

_"Hmm," Said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes – and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put you?"_

_"Not Slytherin," Hatori whispered, mind casting back to the blond boy who had insulted Ron. He wanted to go to a place where he would fit, where he would find friends, where he could be Hatori._

_"Not Slytherin, eh?" Said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that – no? Well, if you're sure – better be GRYFFINDOR!"_

 

* * *

 

_~You told me once that I might find a point to this world, yet my goal remains the same.~_

Harry having just finished another lap in the public pool, reached for the towel he had left at the edge.  _~You come calling at the strangest of times with the strangest of topics. I could've drowned, you know.~_

_~I highly doubt that. And I waited until you were finished.~_

_~How kind,~_  Harry teased, hauling himself out of the water.  _~I'm honoured.~_

 _~You should be,~_  Mukuro said arrogantly, but there was an underlying lightness to his voice that always accompanied their conversations nowadays.  _~...How is Sawada Tsunayoshi these days?~_

 _~Having fun with his friends, enduring Reborn's torture training,~_  Harry told him, pausing in thought before adding softly,  _~Worried about you and the other two, as well as Lancia. He keeps asking Reborn for news.~_

There was a stilted silence and Harry sent a memory of Tsuna pressing his tutor for any word of the convicts down the link. He immediately received a wave of irritation in return, which only made him grin.

 _~You are infuriating beyond words, Potter,~_  Mukuro snapped, still not using his given name.

 _~I have that effect on people,~_  Harry countered cheerfully.

A few near-inaudible grumbles came next before the teen said dismissively,  _~Lancia is fine. He was released a week ago with a full pardon from the Vindice since it was not his own actions that committed those crimes.~_

 _~Hmm, I'll be sure to pass that on,~_  Harry acknowledged.  _~Thank you for speaking on his behalf.~_

 _~I did not,~_  Mukuro denied scornfully.  _~I simply had no other uses for him and having the guards regularly question me for every little detail soon became quite tedious.~_

 _~Of course,~_  Harry agreed.

_~Do not patronize me.~_

_~Of course not.~_

Another flare of irritation rippled down the link and Harry chuckled, garnering a few odd looks from the people around him. Mukuro was just as fun to rile up as Hibari was. Maybe that was why they didn't get along.

He finished showering and changed back into his everyday clothes before grabbing his bag and heading for the nearest convenience store. He was in the mood for an ice-cream today.

_~When I break out of this prison, I will continue destroying this world.~_

Again, the words came out of the blue but Harry didn't miss a beat as he thanked the vendor for the vanilla ice-cream.  _~And I stick by what I said before. Destroy away, but stay away from those under my protection.~_

_~...You do not question the fact that I will break out of Vendicare?~_

Harry turned to lean against the railing of the bridge he was crossing.  _~I once knew a man who broke out of a prison everyone thought was impossible to break out of. You've already done it once; I don't see why you won't be able to do it again. Anything's possible if you try hard enough.~_

 _The only reason I haven't given up yet,_  he thought ruefully.

_~Kufufufu, very well, if I tell you I am planning a breakout at this very moment, you would not alert the necessary people?~_

Harry vaulted onto the railing, walking along it as he considered the pros and cons of doing a cartwheel while still keeping his ice-cream intact.  _~Mukuro-kun, I really couldn't care less about this world. It is some of the people in it that I am fond of, including you. I find our conversations a rather nice break from the chaos in Namimori, so by all means, break out. I will not stop you.~_

Another long silence followed and Harry frowned in concentration before leaning forward into a cartwheel, hastily calling on his magic when his ice-cream tilted precariously to the side before righting himself once more. A bit childish but he had to find ways to entertain himself. Odd that he had never done a cartwheel on the railing of a bridge after all these years.

_~I may require your... assistance.~_

This made Harry pause, now perched on the railing as he teetered between the bridge behind him and the river below. Mukuro asking for help was strange, to put it mildly.  _~Oh?~_

 _~There is a girl,~_  Obviously taking his noncommittal answer as an invitation to continue, Mukuro sent what looked like a dilapidated-looking hospital through the link, along with flashes of street names and houses and other buildings.  _~Her parents are monsters. She was recently hit by a car and lost the function of most of her organs. Her mother is unwilling to donate. She will die quite soon.~_

Harry stayed silent, sensing more to come.

_~My illusions will be able to sustain her. I have already talked to her and she has agreed to share her body with me. Essentially, I will be able to possess her from time to time.~_

Harry mulled this over, jumped a few steps, and drew his own conclusions.  _~You are not planning to escape Vendicare entirely.~_

_~It would be detrimental to my plans. If I were to get away, I would push my plans forward again. Should Sawada Tsunayoshi and that Arcobaleno Reborn have me captured once more, the Vindice will vote for a death sentence, and that is too troublesome to deal with. Possessing someone on the outside is more efficient. That is not to say I will not eventually leave this place, of course. That will come with time.~_

Harry heard a shout and glanced back to find a police officer heading his way. With a Compulsion Charm, he quickly sent the man on his way.

_~And what is my part in all this?~_

_~I believe I will be able to bargain with the Vongola to pardon Ken and Chikusa so they will join her as well. All three will need a place to stay.~_

Harry tilted his head back and stared up at the sky, an orange glow to it now that the sun was setting.  _~You know quite a lot of things for someone confined in a prison, Mukuro-kun.~_

He knew Mukuro knew quite a bit more than he let on. Not about Harry of course, but about the mafia in general, and about the goings-on inside various mafia Families. Even Harry wasn't exactly sure how the teen did it.

 _~Why stay with me?~_  Harry queried when Mukuro said nothing more.  _~They could always move back into Kokuyo. You don't seem the type to direct your friends to stay with a virtual stranger either.~_

 _They are not friends,~_  It was automatic now these days since Harry always insisted on calling them that.  _~And though she may have my illusions to help her, she is still quite malnourished and weak. Ken and Chikusa are useful tools when it comes to battle, but they hardly know how to take care of a girl. I cannot have my only means to the outside world ill.~_

Harry stood up, carelessly balancing on one foot as he finished off his ice-cream.  _~I suppose I could put them up but they'll be sharing living space with a few others.~_

He opened the mind links to Ken and Chikusa as well and relayed a slightly modified version of his offer to them. He had a feeling Mukuro wouldn't want them knowing about the not-quite-three-man breakout.

 _~With who?~_  Ken interjected suspiciously. Harry had spoken with both of them on several occasions and though Ken was still prone to yelling at him from time to time for being too cheerful, the blond didn't seem to mind his presence too much. Chikusa was mostly quiet but Harry had been pleasantly surprised to find that the blue-haired teen liked to read and could discuss classical literature with him.

_"My partner Shamal and Gokudera-kun. Bianchi as well. The others will be in and out quite a bit.~_

Ken was clearly not happy about this and made his opinion of Tsuna and his friends known until Chikusa sighed and told him to quiet down, which promptly turned the ranting to an argument.

 _~You see what I have to deal with?~_  Mukuro gave the impression of releasing a long-suffering sigh and Harry chuckled again.

 _~When should I get the girl then? And what's her name?~_  Harry asked, effectively bringing the conversation back to the main topic, making sure to block that question from the other two and echoing something similar back to them without giving away the girl Mukuro would require.

 _~...Why're you so willing to help us anyway?~_  Ken muttered sullenly.  _~I was right the first time; you're crazy.~_

 _~Well, I can't deny that,~_  Harry agreed readily.  _~But you really shouldn't be talking. Crazy people shouldn't call other people crazy.~_

He sensed a faint smile from Chikusa as Ken spluttered indignantly.

 _~As soon as possible,~_  Mukuro cut over the bickering, tolerantly amused as he expertly shielded his words from them.  _~And she goes by Nagi, but Dokuro Chrome will be what she will call herself from now on. Vongola certainly will not be pleased about your hand in this though.~_

Harry finally hopped off the railing and headed off in the direction of his current home.  _~I'm not Vongola, Mukuro-kun, nor am I allied to them. The only side I will ever take is my own.~_

 

* * *

 

"I'm going away for a few days," Harry announced as he came into the kitchen with his coat slung over one shoulder.

Shamal squinted at him, then reached for his coffee and downed a few mouthfuls before peering back up at his partner. "Come again? I could've sworn you said you were going away for a few days."

"Is that so surprising?" Harry grabbed a glass of water from the sink. "Hurry up, it's your first day back to work; you can't be late."

"I'll call in sick," Shamal offered. "Honestly, school nurses shouldn't even have to go in to work the first week. The brats are all still coming down from their summer high; they're not going to get hurt anytime soon."

"I have no idea what that has to do with anything," Harry said mildly. "And I'm just going to fetch the girl I told you about."

Shamal grunted. His partner had brought that up a few days ago, and Harry, always the epitome of fairness, had also told Hayato about their future houseguests. His old student had been okay with the girl right up until the point where Rokudo Mukuro was brought into the equation. And then there were a whole lot of debates and arguments and doubts until Hayato had asked Harry if he was sure about this. His partner had said yes and Shamal had done a double-take when Hayato had cautiously agreed, even offering to avoid talking about it in front of Reborn to make things easier. If word reached Vongola that they were being duped...

"The girl's weak," Shamal pointed out now. "You might need help. And I  _am_  a doctor."

"It'll be suspicious if both of us skip town," Harry countered. "At least Reborn's used to me coming and going whenever I please."

Shamal frowned before reluctantly accepting that reasoning. "When will you be back?"

"A few days," Harry repeated with a sly smile that hinted at the darkness Shamal had always known his partner possessed. It lurked underneath the easygoing smiles and friendliness, kept out of sight until Harry chose to let it come out. "I might be paying a visit to her parents. It's only polite, after all."

Shamal wondered if he would see their deaths in the newspaper come the weekend.

**Please a review on your way out.**

 


	8. Taking Part in Quotidian Life

 

Chrome shivered as she slipped into a pair of worn jeans and t-shirt, her old sneakers following soon after. She didn't have anything else but Mukuro-sama had promised that the person coming to collect her would look after her.

She reached up and tentatively brushed the eye patch now covering her right eye. Not even Mukuro-sama could fix that; she just hoped it wouldn't hinder her too much in a fight. She still wasn't sure if she could meet Mukuro-sama's expectations in the Family he had told her about.

The door slamming open made her jump and spin around. Her remaining eye widened and she shrank back as she saw her mother standing in the doorway, looking angry and frustrated as usual.

"Come on!" Her mother snapped, reaching out to clamp a bruising hand on her shoulder before dragging her out. "We're leaving now. Be grateful, you little brat; I'm taking time off work to take you home."

Chrome was too scared to struggle but she managed to stammer out, "Y- You don't have to take me anywhere. I- I'm going with s- someone else."

Her mother pinned her with a hateful glare and Chrome flinched when the hand on her shoulder tightened even more.

"Going with someone else?" Her mother scoffed. "Who would want to take you? Stop living in your little dream world, girl. Now hurry up; you'll be doing a press conference later. You're miraculous recovery will make front-page news and at least you'll finally be useful."

Chrome stumbled helplessly after the woman as she was dragged forward again. So that was why her mother was here. Before, her parents were all for leaving her in this rundown hospital.

"P- Please, I don't want-" She tried again, only to receive a swift slap across the face, making her eye sting. She caught the gaze of a hard-faced nurse but the worker only glanced away uncaringly.

"Be quiet, Nagi," Her mother ordered coldly. "You're coming with me. Stop making such a fuss."

And Chrome could only lurch after her, too weak to pull away and run. Her last thought as she was shoved into the car was a plea for help to Mukuro-sama.

 

* * *

 

_~She took her.~_

Harry raised an eyebrow at the hard, flat tone coming down the link. He absently flipped up the collar of his coat as he stepped into the parking-lot of the hospital Mukuro had directed him to.  _~Who took her?~_

 _~Her mother,~_  Mukuro all but spat out.  _~And I can't get through to Chrome when she's too afraid to hear anything. I don't know where they went.~_

Harry sighed as he bypassed the entrance of the hospital, sparing an uninterested glance up at the peeling paint of the building.  _~I'll find her, don't worry.~_

A thrum of impatient disgruntlement ran down the link this time but Mukuro didn't say anything else, leaving Harry to his job.

With a quick Point-Me Spell, Harry set off down the road, quickening his pace when his magic picked up the ugly intent all but pulsing at his new destination. He idly wondered if Chrome would let him kill her parents.

He hated child abuse.

 

* * *

 

It was a three-story house Harry finally reached, with a nice enough garden and a good paintjob. The occupants were clearly quite well-off. There was no reason for putting Chrome in the hospital he had seen.

He rang the doorbell politely and waited for someone to open the door. When it did, he took in the haughty expression on the woman's refined features before enquiring, "Hi, are you Matsushita Ami-san?"

Harry stood patiently as the woman took him in with greedy eyes, noting the Italian-brand clothing he was wearing before studying his face. He knew the woman was a famous superstar, an actress, and any man who looked wealthier than the average citizen knocking at her door would warrant interest. His looks weren't too bad either, if he did say so himself.

"I am," Ami drew herself up. "And who might you be?"

Harry smiled graciously. As much as he would like to play with this woman's character for a bit, string her along and maybe get her hopes up for some huge offer before crushing them all at once, he had more important things to take care of. His magic was almost going haywire when it picked up the writhing mass of fear coming from the house.

"My name is unimportant," Harry said smoothly, gaze drilling into hers. "I'm here for your daughter. Nagi, I believe you call her?"

A dull red slowly spread over Ami's face and derision quickly twisted her expression into something as ugly as her heart. "Leave!" She bit out, and made to slam the door.

Harry only continued smiling when the door didn't budge, no matter how she shoved at it. Without waiting for an invitation he would never receive, he stepped inside and slipped past her dismissively.

"Where is she then?" He asked for courtesy's sake even as he eyed the stairs leading down into the basement.

"Excuse me, I insist you leave!" Ami shrilled, marching over to his side.

Harry allowed any remaining warmth drain from his face as he turned to stare at her again, satisfied when she took a faltering step backwards.

"You don't want your daughter, Matsushita-san," Harry pointed out lightly. "I do. I'll take her off your hands and you'll never have to see her again. It's a win-win situation for both of us."

Ami bristled, obviously disliking the fact that she was losing ground. "Nagi is my daughter. I won't have some stranger taking her away. She's a freak but she has her uses now."

That word. He hated that word.

"Then I suggest you look elsewhere," Harry said coolly as he turned and descended the stairs. "When I leave this house, Nagi will be coming with me."

Ignoring the woman's loud protests, he reached the bottom of the steps and stared blankly at the numerous locks on the door. A ripple of his magic unlocked every one of them and drew a gasp from Ami.

"You!" She said in a hushed voice, a flicker of fear entering her expression before disgust washed over it. "You're like Nagi!"

Harry paused with one hand on the doorknob. "Like Nagi?"

Distaste curled the woman's lips. "She makes things appear. Animals in particular. They're never solid, of course; illusions probably, but it's unnatural. Why do you think she's locked down here? If anyone saw...! And she's stopped doing it ever since we shut her in."

Harry scoffed quietly before pushing open the door. "The only unnatural ones here are you and your husband, Ma'am."

He wrinkled his nose as he stepped inside. The air was stale and there were no lights. The room was big but empty. Cold.

A rustle drew his attention and his eyes landed on a figure huddled in a far corner. The light from the hallway outside just managed to depict the young girl wearing ragged clothes with her knees drawn to her chest and the violet gleam of her left eye.

Harry crouched down, making sure not to hover too closely as he offered a small but warm smile. "Hello there, you must be Nagi. Or do you prefer Chrome now?"

The lone eye flicked over him and desperation crept into it as she cautiously raised her head. "I- Chrome is fine. Y- You're the one Mukuro-sama sent?"

Harry nodded. "That's right. I'm Harry. I'm here to take you away from this place," He extended a hand, palm up. "Shall we go?"

For a long moment, the girl only stared back at him, frozen in place, but Harry had patience in spades and he waited until she finally unfolded herself and reached for his hand.

Gently, he helped her to her feet, careful to keep his hands in sight and not to move too quickly.

"Do you have anything you want to bring?" He asked, though he rather doubted it.

The girl shook her head but her eye slid to the side and Harry followed it to a shabby brown teddy bear, losing its stuffing from one ear. He glanced back and half-smiled at the embarrassed flush highlighting the girl's cheeks. He stooped and picked up the stuffed animal, handing it to her with care.

Pausing for a second, he waved a hand and grinned when Chrome took on a wide-eyed look as the ear mended itself, the stuffing tucking back inside before it was sewn up again. Winking, he was gratified to see a shadow of a smile pass over her features for a split second, just a touch of childish wonder in it.

"Let's go then," He held out a hand again and Chrome, not as hesitant this time, cautiously slipped her hand into his.

"We'll be taking our leave," Harry told the woman still standing in the doorway.

Ami immediately puffed up indignantly. "You can't just take my daughter! Nagi, obey your mother; stay put!"

Chrome shrank into herself, her hand tightening around Harry's as Ami glared angrily at her. Harry wasn't amused.

"This is no way to treat a child," Harry said, voice pitched low and sharp. He drew out a sheaf of papers. "These are adoption papers. Sign them."

Chrome started beside him as Ami's jaw dropped.

"I will not!" The woman snapped. "Nagi will be staying right here. She recovered from the car accident with no medical help whatsoever. She could make money-"

"She's not someone for you to use whenever you please," Harry returned icily, and the woman finally seemed to get a clue as the air thickened around her. "She's a human being, just a girl, with thoughts and feelings, and yet you lock her away in the basement and still dare to call yourself her mother? You have no shame."

His eyes narrowed and he watched with dark satisfaction as he directed his magic around the woman's neck, hauling her up without effort. Ami thrashed in the air, eyes dilating in horror as she clawed at her throat and choked screams tripped out of her mouth.

"H- Harry-san?"

Harry blinked, the small part inside him that was still relatively human scolding him for forgetting his humanity, his mercy. Harry mentally scoffed and only regretted forgetting to tell Chrome to turn around and cover her ears.

"I'm sorry," He apologized, looking down at the fearful girl at his side. She was still clinging to him though so that was a good sign. He blinked again and hastily dropped the woman. Couldn't forget about that.

"Are you scared?" He asked, curious. Most people were. Up until this point, in this world, only Shamal had seen him do anything remotely violent, and the man was an assassin himself.

Chrome was staring blankly at her mother, still gasping for breath as she scrambled back as far away as possible. And then her eye shifted to look at their linked hands.

"No," She whispered, tightening her grip again. "I just- I just want to get out of here."

Harry smiled when he detected no lie in her words. "Okay," He agreed, before levelling a frigid gaze on the woman. "Sign. Now."

Ami couldn't grab a pen fast enough as she hurriedly scribbled her signature on the papers, signing over custody to Harry without even reading them. Only Harry saw the snap of magic as the last drop of ink soaked into the papers, the red swirl of binding magic spreading outwards to the rest of the town.

"Get out!" She shrieked, throwing the documents back at Harry. "I don't ever want to see either of you again!"

Harry inclined his head in a mock salute. "Ma'am, that makes three of us."

They were halfway down the street before Harry spoke again. "Do you want to get going or do you think we can stop by the mall and get you some new clothes and other things?"

Chrome blinked owlishly up at him. "For me?"

Harry nodded. "I'm not much of a shopper but I figured you might want to pick out some things for yourself, so you'll be able to start filling your closet and decorating your room when we get to your new home."

Chrome looked a bit overwhelmed as she nodded uncertainly to the latter so Harry went on to describe the apartment and the people coming and going every day. He made sure to tell her about their funnier antics and even managed to draw a few faint smiles from her by the time they reached the mall.

"Let's start with shirts, okay?" Harry suggested when Chrome only stood in the middle of the shop they were in, looking lost. "What colours do you like?"

Chrome blushed and mumbled, "Blue. A- A darker blue. Indigo."

Harry recalled Mukuro's hair colour and hid a smile, turning to eye the shelves and racks. "Hmm, how about..."

Half an hour later, Harry was carrying a suitcase full of new clothes as Chrome stared avidly at herself in a mirror. She was wearing a pale blue long-sleeved shirt with a blossoming flower imprinted on the front. A dark blue coat was thrown over that and a pair of new jeans and shoes finished off her apparel. She couldn't seem to look away.

Harry smiled and let her have her fun. The girl needed it. He glanced down at his phone as it buzzed. It seemed his contacts in Italy had done their job and done it well. Now he just had to take care of things in Japan.

"Harry-san?"

Harry glanced up. "Yes, Chrome?"

Chrome shifted nervously before holding out a hairclip, elegantly decorated with tiny white and blue flowers and leaves. "Is- Is it alright if- if I get this? I'll pay you back, um, for the clothes too, and-"

She stuttered to a stop when Harry reached out and closed her fingers around the clip. "I already told you, Chrome," He said lightly. "Get anything you want. I am technically your guardian now. What kind of guardian would I be if I had you buying your own clothes?"

Chrome blushed and smiled again, a fragile sort of hope glowing in her eye as Harry led her to the counter. Maybe he could convince her to buy a few more hairclips and other accessories. His own daughter had loved that sort of thing all those millennia ago.

 

* * *

 

Harry had considered simply Apparating them both back home but he'd rather not chance the trip with a physically weak passenger tagging along, not to mention he knew Chrome didn't get out much, through no fault of her own, and a train ride was a good way to let her see the sights.

At the moment, Chrome was sleeping though. She had stayed awake for as long as possible, peering out the window with a child's sense of awe and had eaten a small salad for dinner. Harry had wanted her to eat more but he knew better than anyone what effects long-term starvation had on a person so he had let it go. She would be living with a doctor soon enough and Shamal would figure out a good diet for her.

Chrome had nodded off soon after, especially after the sun had set. Harry had booked a private room onboard the train so Chrome wouldn't have to worry about strangers walking by. She had been okay at the mall but she had still stuck by Harry like glue in the crowd.

_~You got her.~_

Harry hummed a confirmation as pulled out his laptop and searched up Matsushita Ami's manager, a no-nonsense woman with a reputation for getting what she wanted for her clients, using whatever means necessary. Well, she could go too. Harry didn't much care.

_~Of course. I said I would.~_

_~Many people say things. Only a few follow through.~_

Harry raised an eyebrow as he scrolled through the numerous awards Ami had won.

_~You thought I wouldn't be one of them?~_

_~...No. Still, it was a surprise. You didn't have to take her shopping.~_

He smiled at the screen. How many of those awards would be taken away once he was through with her?

_~No, I suppose I didn't, but I felt like it. And I am her guardian now. I plan on taking care of her until she can take care of herself.~_

He shot off a few text messages to the right people before closing his laptop and shrugging off his coat. He hoped Shamal would save him a copy of the paper tomorrow.

_~...Ken and Chikusa will arrive in Namimori a few weeks from now. Make sure they don't do anything stupid, Hadrian.~ Thank you._

Harry leaned back and smiled, a little at the name and a little at the unspoken words.  _~Of course.~ You're welcome._

 

* * *

 

Chrome couldn't believe what she was seeing as Harry led her to her new bedroom.  _Her_  bedroom. The walls were a soothing blue, the carpet a shade darker, and the bed sheets and blankets were crisp and white. She even had a floor-to-ceiling window that opened out to a porch that spanned the exterior of the apartment. Two bookshelves were stationed in the corner, a closet in another, and even a desk and bedside table to boot.

"Chrome?"

Chrome started, having forgotten Harry's presence, and she quickly turned around, scrubbing at one eye when unbidden tears welled up. "Th- This is all mine?"

Harry smiled softly and nodded, placing her suitcase down. "Yeah. Do you like it? We could change anything you-"

Chrome shook her head furiously. "I- I like it! I- This is-"

Words failed her. For as long as she could remember, the only place that had ever been hers had been the dark cold basement. This was more than she could have ever hoped for.

Harry seemed to understand because he nodded again and ushered her inside. "Come on, let's unpack some of this stuff. Er, I'll leave you to do your clothes though. Girls are a bit sensitive about that sort of thing, I believe."

Harry shot her a wry grin before moving to her closet with the shoes she had bought. Or rather, Harry had insisted she pick out something and she had ended up with an armful of shoeboxes by the time she had finished.

Biting her lip, she dragged her suitcase over as well and began hanging up her clothes, Harry turning his back and pretending to be very interested in the scenery outside when she had to put away her underclothes. Her face felt like it was on fire by the time she had hastily shoved everything away.

But Harry just gave her a cheerful grin when she finished before whisking her back outside, taking her on a tour of the apartment. It wasn't as big as her parents' house but it still seemed more spacious. Chrome certainly liked this place a lot more than she had her old home.

"I'm home, honey!"

Chrome only had time to blink in surprise before Harry snorted in amusement and led her back to the living area.

"Bianchi's not here, Shamal," Harry told the man at the front door, a tall Italian with black hair and tanned skin. Chrome automatically reached out for Harry's hand, not even embarrassed anymore at the childish action.

The man, Shamal, peered down at her. She remembered Harry telling him about the doctor who would live with them as well.

"Hi," The man smiled at her, a little awkward but friendly enough. "You're our new addition to the family, huh? I'm Shamal, Harry's partner."

Chrome nodded silently but Shamal didn't seem to mind, tossing his coat over a chair as he looked back at Harry, a pensive glint in his eyes.

"I saw the paper," He said quietly, glancing briefly at Chrome.

Harry smiled and Chrome recognized it as the same one that he had directed at her mother, callous and cold but one that she couldn't bring herself to fear. She thought she probably should because if she hadn't spoke up when she had, Harry would've killed her mother, no question, but she didn't. He had stood up for her and protected her. He was a lot like Mukuro-sama in that sense; Chrome knew Mukuro-sama was a criminal but she didn't fear him either.

"Hmm? Ah, that," Harry absently steered Chrome into the kitchen. "Yes, neat and tidy, don't you think? And I thought the last bit was quite nicely done too."

Chrome watched her new guardian bustle around the kitchen and absently made a note to find today's newspaper later. She had no love for her mother and stepfather; they had never cared about her to begin with. Beneath the fear she had accumulated for them, carefully tucked away, was a rush of anger and resentment at their treatment.

"Chrome?"

Chrome jerked up, gaze finding Harry as the man leaned forward across the table, genuine concern on his face, not closed off like her mother's often was. "Y- Yes?"

Harry studied her for a moment before smiling and sweeping a hand behind him. "Want to help me make dinner?"

Chrome tensed. "I don't know how."

Harry grinned conspiratorially. "That's alright, I'll teach you. And just between you and me, nobody else in this house can cook worth a damn, but you'll just have to grin and bear it when Shamal puts something on the table. He's sensitive like that. You might make him cry."

Chrome just managed to suppress a foreign giggle and nodded solemnly instead as she accepted the apron Harry handed her. From the doorway, Shamal questioned, "What did you just say to her?"

Harry smiled breezily as he reached for the fridge. "Oh, nothing much, Shamal. Just future advice for Chrome as she settles in here. Wouldn't want her upsetting sensitive people by accident."

Chrome had to swallow another giggle when Shamal eyed Harry with deep suspicion.

 

* * *

 

"Have you seen today's paper, Tsu-kun?"

Tsuna glanced up from where he was sitting, an array of gun parts in front of him as he tried to identify each one. He had no idea how his mother could think it was just a game Reborn was getting him to play and missing the fact that they were all real. Yamamoto and Gokudera were doing much the same, though the former was having better luck at remembering the parts and Gokudera already knew most of it.

"No," He shook his head, casting a furtive look at Reborn to make sure he wasn't going to get shot for taking a short break. "Did something important happen?"

His mother came out holding the newspaper, frowning in bemusement. "You know that famous Japanese actress, Matsushita Ami? Her entire career fell through overnight. Look."

Tsuna read with widening eyes the various scandals that had been uncovered literally overnight – bribes, blackmail, even affairs – and instantly destroyed the actress that even he had heard of, and he didn't even watch that many movies. He was distantly aware of Yamamoto, Gokudera, and Bianchi reading over his shoulder and Reborn beside his arm.

"That's not all either," His mum continued. "Her husband is the assistant manager of that prominent company in Italy, Vetta. It went bankrupt overnight as well! Something about dealings with the mafia and strange deaths of other company employees, as well as debts that haven't been paid. Their assets have been seized, their bank accounts frozen as the police look for any discrepancies, and they are essentially penniless. Both of them are completely ruined!"

Tsuna had quickly flipped to the right page and he stared, mildly stunned, at the detailed offences of the couple.

"Wow, someone did a really good job getting them," He heard Gokudera murmur, sounding impressed, and he craned his head to frown at the bomber.

"Gokudera-kun, what if none of this is true?" Tsuna protested.

The bomber flushed a little but Reborn cut in, "No, it's true. Vetta's reputation is soaked in blood. They're widely known in the mafia world for their dealings with various Families. And there's detailed evidence here that proves that actress's transgressions."

Tsuna stared dumbly at the newspaper. He couldn't believe there were such corrupt people out there. Well, he could, but it still made him feel somewhat disgusted at the underhanded tactics some would use.

A paragraph caught his eye and he leaned forward to read it. "It says that the woman's also suspected of doing drugs," He cited out loud. "That she's blaming all these 'lies' on some strange man who took her daughter from her but none of her neighbours can remember her ever having a daughter. There aren't any records of the supposed child either, not even a birth certificate. All this did was open an investigation and they found locks on the basement door and a few children's toys as well as drops of dried-  _blood_  that isn't hers. They're questioning whether or not she might have been involved in kidnappings now and if her husband knew about it."

A long thick silence ensued before Reborn pulled down his fedora and remarked flatly, "At least some of this would have come out sooner or later but someone did an excellent job destroying their lives."

"'Excellent'?!" Tsuna parroted, appalled. "I know they did bad things but I wouldn't call it excellent. It's really mean; I mean they could've just made a series of bad mistakes-"

"Jyuudaime, I think they deserved it," Gokudera interjected firmly.

"Yeah, Tsuna, if they really did do these things, they should pay for it, right?" Yamamoto chimed in, a rare frown creasing his brow.

"Of course," Tsuna agreed at once. "But still, all at once-"

"Think about it this way, Jyuudaime," Gokudera suggested. "What about the locked basement and blood? What if the bitch-"

"Gokudera-kun!"

"-really did have a daughter but got rid of her a long time ago or she managed to escape?"

Tsuna paled as he pictured a kid being locked away from the world for years and felt like he might throw up.

"Yeah," He said at length in a resigned voice. "They'd deserve it."

With a last glance at the paper, they returned to what they had been doing, the news eventually pushed to the back of their minds for now.

 

* * *

 

Reborn considered the newspaper very carefully for the fifth time that day. Then he raised his eyes to surreptitiously contemplate the Brit sitting across from him, relaxed and composed as he taught card tricks to the small-framed girl beside him.

Reborn wanted to ask but even he wasn't sure how to phrase  _did you destroy a couple lives yesterday_  into something less blunt.

Oh, he knew it was Harry who had all but singlehandedly torn down Vetta and ripped apart a famous actress's career – every instinct he possessed screamed that truth – but he had no proof. He had gotten the girl's name – Dokuro Chrome – but it didn't turn up anywhere. She matched the 'raving mother's' description though so Reborn supposed she had a different name before, but none of his contacts could find  _anything_ on her. Not even the school she had allegedly attended or the hospital that Matsushita Ami had claimed her daughter had gone to after a car accident could remember her.

It was as if whoever Dokuro Chrome had been before had been completely wiped from memory, save for her parents'.

And Reborn  _knew_  Harry had something to do with it. He also knew the Brit wouldn't breathe a word until he was good and ready. Reborn had no idea why Harry had gone to such lengths for a virtual stranger, albeit one with a crappy home life, but a stranger nonetheless.

The way Harry had thrown the parents straight into hell had been swift and ruthless; retribution for this girl, no doubt. And it wasn't even the fact that Reborn didn't know what the Brit wanted with her that troubled him most; it was the fact that Harry could so easily crush people, all seemingly without batting an eye. They certainly deserved it, and had Reborn been given a good enough reason or simply paid to do it, he would've – could've – done the same. A few calls here and there would've seen Vetta wiped off the face of the planet and throwing money at certain people always got the job done when it came to tearing apart someone's life. It could get the job done for a lot of other things too.

But even he would've been hard-pressed to bribe or blackmail an entire town to keep them quiet about one girl; impossible in less than twelve hours. Chrome would've had to be outside to get hit by a car and at least someone in the seedy hospital should've remembered her. The workers there wouldn't particularly care about keeping their word either. The Brit shouldn't have been able to keep them quiet, even if he had paid them. Someone, somewhere, especially the press, would've been able to get one of them to talk.

But Harry had done it, somehow, and Reborn couldn't help wondering just how much damage the Brit could cause if that ruthlessness, that utterly merciless vengeance carried out with unyielding resolve, was turned against Vongola, maybe even against Tsuna one day.

Because if nothing else, this incident showed that Harry would not and did not need to consult anyone before doing whatever he wanted.

Truly not a part of Vongola, indeed.

 

* * *

 

"Oi, Shamal."

Shamal glanced up at his former student with a questioning raise of his eyebrows. Hayato scowled moodily back at him. Teenagers.

"Has she talked to you?"

Shamal sighed and shook his head, tossing his magazine back onto the coffee table. "Of course not. The only one she's talked to is Harry."

"Of course," Hayato waved a hand. "Shishou is good with people. But she hasn't even talked to nee-san."

"She just needs time, Hayato," Shamal said dismissively, more curious about the way of address Hayato had said. "She'll open up when she wants to. Just be patient, though I suppose that'll be a bit hard for you."

Hayato's temper flared as Shamal knew it would but the boy was just so fun to rile up, bristling like an insulted cat.

But to his surprise, the bomber settled down again, though annoyance still simmered in his eyes. Huh, looked like Harry was making progress.

"He did it, right?" Hayato muttered instead, taking a seat in the armchair on the left. "Shishou made that stuff in the paper happen?"

Shamal glanced at him. "Since when did you start calling Harry 'Shishou'?"

Hayato flushed and glared at him. "He told me to stop calling him Harry-sama, so I call him Shishou. Problem?"

Shamal held up a placating hand. "No, no, of course not."

Hayato huffed and crossed his arms. "Then answer my question."

Shamal grunted, eyes straying to Saturday's newspaper at the end of the table. "Of course he did," He said quietly. "You think he  _wouldn't_?"

They both glanced in the general direction of Chrome's room. The girl had rarely left it ever since she had arrived three days ago, and never did unless Harry coaxed her out.

"Of course not," Hayato retorted scathingly. "Shishou is always protective of the people under his care, even if he doesn't always show it. But... I think Reborn-san is suspicious."

"Two people, the woman ranting about a missing daughter, are destroyed overnight and a mysterious girl shows up at our place the very next day?" Shamal scoffed. "I'd be surprised if Reborn wasn't suspicious. But it isn't as if he can do anything about it; he only has suspicions. Besides, if that Rokudo Mukuro is telling the truth, Vongola will know about it soon enough."

Hayato scowled. "...I don't like keeping things from Jyuudaime."

Shamal snorted, picking up his magazine again. "Then don't. Nobody told you to and I know Harry wouldn't  _want_  you to. Your Jyuudaime is a wimp-"

"He is not!"

"-and an idiot-"

"Shut up, bastard! He's  _not_!"

"-and he's socially inept on a good day, especially when it comes to girls-"

"Would you fucking shut it?!"

"- _but_ , he's surprisingly competent when it comes to protecting people. This would be to protect both Harry and Chrome-chan. I don't think even Reborn would be able to get it out of him."

"...You're  _serious_."

Shamal peered over his magazine at the look of disbelief on his former student's face before returning to his... questionable reading material. "I  _do_  have eyes, Hayato," He said mildly.

He was just a little smug when Hayato leapt up a minute later and dashed out of the house. He hadn't been the best teacher for the little brat but it looked like he could still make an impression.

 

* * *

 

"Harry-san?" Tsuna called out after knocking on the man's bedroom door.

It was a few seconds before the door opened and Tsuna almost gawked at the messier-than-usual hair and the sleepy-eyed expression on the Brit's face.

"What is it?" Harry prompted when Tsuna didn't say anything.

Tsuna ducked his head a little. He hadn't thought Harry would be sleeping. In fact, for some reason, it had never actually occurred to him that Harry would need sleep, which was a ridiculously stupid thought.

It was a little past eleven at night, and Tsuna had snuck out of Gokudera's room, leaving the bomber, Yamamoto, and Ryohei snoring away. It had become a ritual of theirs, to have sleepovers at each other's houses these days. Unfortunately, late at night was also the only time Tsuna could get away from his friends and or Reborn. He loved spending time with them (even Reborn when he wasn't doing something crazy) but he wanted to talk to Harry, alone.

"Tsuna?" Harry prodded, sounding more alert, and Tsuna winced. He had zoned out again.

"Er, I was wondering, if you're not too tired, if I could talk to you for a bit?" He asked nervously.

Harry squinted at him for a moment before blinking the last of the sleep from his eyes and stepping back to wave him inside.

"What is it?" Harry enquired once they had both grabbed chairs, Harry straddling his, arms draped over the backrest, while Tsuna sat nervously stiff in the one Harry had offered him. "Girl trouble?"

Tsuna spluttered. "No! Of course not!"

He huffed when he caught the teasing glint in Harry's eyes. "No, not that. I just- Gokudera-kun told me about Mukuro and Chrome and everything."

"Hmm," Harry dropped his chin onto his arms, green eyes almost glowing in the moonlight streaming from the porch window. "And what do you think?"

"I..." Tsuna trailed off uncertainly before forging on. "You got- got rid of Chrome's parents."

Harry inclined his head. "I did."

"You ruined their careers," Tsuna continued haltingly, his voice dropping.

"I did."

"They-" Tsuna frowned anxiously, voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "They'll never find jobs again, even if they don't go to jail. You've... practically destroyed their lives."

Harry only smiled at him, a dark edge to it that sent a chill down Tsuna's spine. "Yes, I did."

Tsuna swallowed, mouth dry, and thought back to the overview Gokudera had given him of Chrome, thought about the way Chrome shied away from contact and remained silent unless Harry talked to her, thought about the locks and blood the paper had reported.

He took a deep breath.

"I think- I think they deserve it," Tsuna finally rushed out fiercely, hands clenching into fists. "It's not right! How can any parent treat their own kid like that?! It shouldn't be possible!"

"It happens," Harry said, the darkness fading from his expression and retreating out of sight again. "All parents want their kids to be perfect. Some have horrid children and see them as the epitome of perfection. Others have children who make mistakes but they accept them for who they are and guide and teach them the best they can. And then there are those who have kids that aren't quite normal, not in their eyes at least, and they end up lashing out."

"But still!" Tsuna protested. "It's  _wrong_! They should know that!"

Harry paused, gaze resting steadily on Tsuna until he felt like squirming. "The most basic trait of a human being is fear, and the two things an average human is afraid of are the unknown, and death. People are scared of the dark because they don't know what's hidden in it. People are afraid of heights, because one wrong step means a broken neck, and even that stems from the unknown. Nobody knows what comes after death. Chrome's parents must have disliked their daughter's differences to other children and locked her up in retaliation. It's wrong, but it happens, just like any other crime committed in the world."

Tsuna nodded slowly, reluctantly, understanding a little but not liking it at all. "I'm scared of both too," He admitted, a twinge of shame flashing through him. "But- But I'd never treat children like that!"

"And that makes all the difference," Harry said quietly. "You know where to draw the line. You won't let your fear control you. You'd be surprised how many people can't do that."

They fell into a comfortable silence, broken only by the distant ticking of the clock across the room.

"That's not the only thing you wanted to talk about," Harry pointed out at last.

Tsuna scratched his head, wondering how to form his question. "Um, about Mukuro; you- how is he?"

Harry smiled again, and this time, Tsuna got the feeling that the Brit was pleased with his enquiry, which made for a pleasant change. Reborn always reprimanded him for misplacing his concern.

"He's as well as he can be in a prison," Harry told him. "Ken and Chikusa will be coming soon as well. Things will heat up again quite fast."

Tsuna couldn't help groaning at that. "I don't want to be involved in all this mafia stuff," He grumbled. "I don't want to be a mafia boss either; I'm- I'm putting everyone in danger. I don't even like the mafia."

"...Then why don't you change it?"

Tsuna's mouth dropped open. He couldn't have heard that right. "What?"

Harry rose to his feet, stretching languidly before ushering Tsuna to the door. "It's getting late and you've got school tomorrow. Get some sleep."

Tsuna only managed a dazed goodnight before Harry's door closed behind him and he was back in Gokudera's room again, sliding back in his sleeping bag.

He fell asleep to Harry's question echoing in his mind.

 

* * *

 

"I'd like to use the school gym as a training room for Gokudera-kun."

"..."

"I'll have a proper spar with you this Sunday, not just the usual run-and-chase routine."

"..."

"Two Sundays."

"..."

" _Every_ Sunday until I don't need the gym any longer, plus tea afterwards."

"...I'll have a talk with the school."

"Thank you, Hibari-kun."

 

* * *

 

Chrome jumped at the unexpected knock coming from her window and blinked when she found Harry standing on the other side, one hand raised in a wave. She hesitated briefly before slipping off her bed and hurrying over to unlock it.

"Finished your teenage angsting yet?" Harry teased, and Chrome instantly blushed. She didn't mean to stay in her room all day. It was just that there were so many people coming and going. She could barely remember all their names.

"It's a bit overwhelming, I suppose," Harry mused as he motioned her outside. They leaned against the railing and looked out over the rest of the town. "And Gokudera-kun and Ryohei-kun's yelling doesn't really help, does it?"

Chrome settled for a shrug before admitting, "Sasagawa-san is alright but Gokudera-san is a bit..."

"Hostile?" Harry supplied dryly. "Trust me, this is his version of cautious around you. He just doesn't want to do anything that would make you feel unwelcome. You should've seen him when I first came here."

Chrome frowned dubiously. "Gokudera-san is very respectful towards you."

"Well, we came to an understanding," Harry explained. "He's sort of like my student now. But before that, every time I so much as looked at Tsuna, he'd try to pick a fight."

Chrome quieted again when her new Boss's name came up. Sawada Tsunayoshi was the one she was supposed to follow, play the part of one-half of his Mist Guardian, though nobody here seemed aware of this fact. Except maybe...

She glanced sidelong at her new guardian who was almost always smiling and always calm and collected. Mukuro-sama had implied that he could talk to Harry too and Harry already knew everything else, even the imminent jailbreak in Italy.

Harry absently leaned forward, surveying the sunset, and Chrome caught a glint of gold just above the white button-up shirt he was wearing, teetering behind the third button. It looked like a ring of some sort, a simple golden band with a few words inscribed on it, but then Harry shifted and it moved out of sight again.

"You up for some dinner?" Harry enquired. "It's just us, Shamal, and Bianchi today. Gokudera-kun's gone over to Tsuna's for a sleepover."

Chrome nodded silently, following him back inside, the ring forgotten.

"Harry-san?"

Harry glanced back at her. "Yeah?"

"...I'm- I'm one of Boss's Mist Guardians," She said timidly, relieved when Harry only nodded, unsurprised. "Is- Is Boss a good boss?"

Harry tilted his head, a thoughtful look on his face. "I can't answer that for you, Chrome. He isn't my boss. You'll just have to find out for yourself."

Chrome blinked in surprise. Harry usually answered any questions she had.

_"You'll just have to find out for yourself."_

Would there really be much of a difference in being told and finding out for herself?

 

* * *

 

_The troll had been scary and Hatori had been sure he would be expelled when they had been caught, but Hermione had covered for them. Hatori had never had anyone covering for him before, or helping him in anyway. He could've hugged her for that, but he had a feeling it would only embarrass them both._

_Hatori now had two best friends, Ron and Hermione, and despite the danger and mystery that surrounded him, he was happier than he had ever been before._

 

* * *

 

"Excellent," Harry said approvingly as all the dynamite hit their moving targets, and Hayato beamed with pride.

"Thanks," He grinned. Harry had somehow conjured mobile targets that darted around him without pattern, and his mentor would up the speed every time he managed to modify his dynamite enough to move while in the air and shoot them all down. He had no idea how the targets could move by themselves but he had long since stopped wondering. At least out loud, anyway.

"Take a break," Harry announced, tossing him a towel and a water bottle. They made their way to a nearby bench, Harry breaking out some snacks he had brought with him.

"Your offense is getting very good," Harry commented, and Hayato listened intently. "Your speed and accuracy are getting better as well. What you need to work on are your defense and stealth. When someone attacks you, sometimes, you won't be able to retaliate right away. You need to be able to defend yourself when that happens. Maybe a shield of dynamite?"

Hayato nodded determinedly, mind already going over different ways to combine his dynamite to make something like a shield. Should it explode on impact? But a delayed reaction controlled by him would be much more efficient, especially if the enemy was a long-range specialist.

"Hey, concentrate, genius, we're not finished here," Hayato snapped out of it and sent a sheepish look at the exasperated look his mentor was aiming at him.

"I'll leave the defense to you," Harry continued once Hayato was paying attention again. "What we're going to work on is stealth. Come with me."

Ten minutes later, they were at Namimori Middle, standing outside the gym.

"I came to an agreement with Hibari-kun and he talked to the school for me," Harry explained as they stepped inside. "The gym is ours at this time for three hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays."

Hayato only had time to wonder just how Harry had managed to talk their school's prefect into lending out  _any_  part of the school just for them before his eyes fell on the interior of the gym and his jaw dropped. Or what was once the gym.

It now looked more like a maze made up of trees, and coupled with the dim lighting, he could only see about five feet inside before a wooden wall of tree trunks blocked his line of sight and the path branched off on either side of him.

"A flashlight and a map," Harry pushed the items into his hands. "You have three hours."

Half a second later, the gym door swung shut and Hayato could only go forward. For just a moment, he thought he might understand how Jyuudaime felt every time Reborn trained him.

 

* * *

 

Hayato had thought that, with a map, the maze wouldn't be too difficult. He turned out to be very wrong.

He had already expected the various traps that would be inside but it didn't take him long to realize that, while he had a map in hand and he had shortly found the correct path that would take him through the maze, the traps always activated if he was too  _loud_.

Even opening the flashlight somehow set off a nearby trap; he had already ducked handfuls of darts, dodged several arrows, and almost gotten lost from running away from a giant boulder that came out of absolutely  _nowhere_  when he had stepped on a twig.

If nothing else, he would get an A for avoiding ambushes.

But it was certainly working. He wasn't quite sure how long it had been – he made a mental note to ask Harry how he always seemed to know what time it was even though he didn't wear a watch – but he had finally worked out how to walk without making too much noise.  _No_  noise was still a fair ways off but it was better than before and Hayato would take what he could get. He was even avoiding stepping on the louder bits of foliage on the once-gym floor.

The flashlight was a problem as well. The branches and leaves stretching above him blocked out most of what little light he had in the first place and he had to continually flick on the flashlight to see where he was going, which always set off a trap. He had already memorized the entire map but it wouldn't do him any good if things continued to block him from moving forward.

He contemplated his options. Harry wouldn't give him something impossible to do so there had to be a way. He released an inaudible sigh, closing his eyes and frowning in frustration. Was he supposed to navigate this maze in the dark? Feel along the walls? He had tried that once; some vines had come down to tangle his legs up before he had managed to set fire to them. And then he had had to run again once the explosion had attracted a swarm of pecking birds down on him.

He sighed again and opened his eyes, glaring sullenly up at the trees. He could just make out the leafy branches rustling with some invisible wind, blowing...

Wait.

He tilted his head, squinting upwards.

The treetops seemed to be swaying one way but only for a few feet before it abruptly changed direction. Natural – or as natural as a forest maze inside a school gym could be – wind did not travel that way, at least not any that Hayato had ever seen.

Hesitantly, he followed the wind current, skirting around the twigs and stones on the ground and keeping his footsteps light. He turned left when the current turned left and right when the current turned right...

And followed the exact path the map had laid out.

Hayato grinned and picked up his pace. This was better.

He still tripped a few traps along the way, including narrowly weaving around flying spears and stepping in a snake nest whose poisonous occupant, surprisingly, only hissed at him and chased him away, but he had figured out the maze and he was sure his stealth was already that much better. It was amazing what life-and-death situations could teach a person, though, after the snake, he suspected that Harry's traps would cancel themselves if Hayato really couldn't handle it. It brought him a measure of pride that not one of them had terminated when he had faced them.

By the time he reached the exit, jogging out of the maze with a burst of satisfaction, Hayato was sweaty and tired and was barely trying to regulate his breathing as Harry had taught him. But he had finished and the crooked smile his mentor wore that greeted him brought a stupid grin to his own face despite his exhaustion.

"Not bad," Harry said, helping him outside and onto a bench. "Two hours, thirty-eight minutes, and twenty-one seconds. I thought you'd reach at least the fifty-minute mark."

Hayato might've given a whoop if he wasn't so busy gulping down water. Harry had a knack for correctly predicting his limits so Hayato always liked it best when he could surpass Harry's expectations.

"Shishou?" Hayato glanced at his mentor as they made their way back home after closing up the gym (Hayato had taken another look and found the place empty; it was mind-boggling how Harry could just make a maze  _disappear_ ).

"Hmm?"

"...I told Jyuudaime about the girl and that pineapple bastard."

His mentor nodded calmly. "Yes, I know."

Hayato gaped for a second before mentally scolding himself. Of course Harry knew. Harry seemed to know everything. Though... "How... do you know?"

Harry directed an amused half-smile at him. "Tsuna came and talked to me."

Hayato's first instinct was to ask what they had talked about but he shoved it down and stayed quiet. People didn't take being interrogated very well and it was best to listen to what they wanted to reveal first. Most people had the urge to tell at least one other their secrets, though he supposed this lesson didn't apply to Harry, who had taught him that in the first place.

"We had an interesting conversation," His mentor continued. "His way of thinking is very... naive."

Hayato automatically bristled at that but didn't immediately protest. Harry always had a point; he never deliberately insulted someone unless they deserved it.

"Very naive," Harry repeated, nodding to himself. "But wise too."

Just as he was about to ask how someone could be two opposites at the same time, Hayato promptly found himself on the receiving end of a piercing gaze.

"Don't ever let him lose that, Hayato," Harry told him softly, and the regretful note in his voice made Hayato's chest feel tight. "The mafia is a dark place, though the others have yet to truly realize. For all his Spartan methods, Reborn does a good job shielding them from the crueler aspects of that world. You've seen some of it though, haven't you?"

Hayato's jaw tightened, mouth a grim slash on his face as he nodded. Of course he'd seen; he'd grown up in the mafia after all. And in addition to the baseball freak's carefree behaviour, part of Hayato's irritation stemmed from the fact that the idiot just  _wouldn't take the mafia seriously_. He'd never admit it, but Yamamoto had grown on him, not to mention Jyuudaime would be leagues beyond upset if anything happened to him, and Hayato knew that if Yamamoto continued believing everything to be just a game, it could – _would_  – get him killed one day. The two of them might not get along but Hayato had no desire to see the other teen dead, especially when he was already part of the Family.

"You're Tsuna's first friend, you know," Harry said, and Hayato tinged red with pleasure. "Tsuna said it himself. And you know how bullied he was before all this came along. He values his friends more than most."

Hayato couldn't find any words so he just nodded silently. A hand on his head made him blink and peer upwards.

"And he's your first friend too, right?" Harry grinned, and then laughed outright when Hayato couldn't stop the heat in his face from rising.

"Just..." Harry gave him an odd smile as they finally reached their apartment building, heading inside towards the elevators. "Watch out for him. Don't just follow him, Hayato. In reality, as boss, Tsuna is carrying the lives of you and the others on his shoulders, and a part of him, even if just on a subconscious level, understands that all too well. It's a heavy burden to bear. As his friend, his Right-Hand, his Family member, you shouldn't leave him to carry that alone, don't you think?"

Hayato stared frozenly at his mentor as they waited for the lift. He hadn't ever thought about it that way before. He had always been taught that subordinates should be loyal to the boss and follow them without question no matter what. But...

'Without question' suddenly sounded awfully like 'without support'. And was simply following the boss enough? The problem with following,  _only_  following, was that the one in front was always...

Alone.

And Hayato had first-hand experience with being alone. He never wanted to go back to that again and he was willing to bet that Jyuudaime wouldn't want to either.

But Jyuudaime was his boss and Hayato would die before deserting him. Then again, Jyuudaime always insisted they were friends. Maybe his boss had already seen and understood, at least a little, just how isolated being shoved out front all by himself would be.

So... maybe, instead of following behind, he could, perhaps, follow  _beside_?

The elevator opened and it took a gentle push for Hayato to get in. He remained quiet for the rest of the evening. This new revelation merited thinking about.

 

* * *

 

_The Mirror of Erised stood in the center of the room, polished and ornate._

_Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi, it said. I show not your face but your heart's desire._

_What would his heart's desire be? Hatori wondered as he drew closer._

_And when he looked, he saw himself, but also a whole crowd of people behind him. A woman standing right behind his reflection was smiling at him and waving._

_Hatori studied her further. She was a very pretty woman. She had dark red hair and her eyes – her eyes are just like mine, Hatori thought, edging even closer to the glass. Bright green – exactly the same shape, but then he noticed that she was crying; smiling, but crying at the same time._

_The tall, thin, black-haired man standing next to her put his arm around her. He wore glasses, and his hair was very untidy. It stuck up at the back, just as Hatori's did._

_He was so close to the mirror now that his nose was nearly touching that of his reflection. "Mom?" He whispered. "Dad?"_

_They just looked at him, smiling. And slowly, Hatori looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror, and saw other pairs of green eyes like his, other noses like his, even a little old man who looked as though he had Hatori's knobbly knees – Hatori was looking at his family, for the very first time in his life._

_They smiled and waved at Hatori and he stared hungrily back at them, his hands pressed flat against the glass as though he was hoping to fall right through it and reach them._

_He had a powerful kind of ache inside him, half joy, and half terrible sadness. It was only a reflection, after all. This family was one thing he would never have._

 

* * *

 

Harry lounged lazily on the porch railing of their apartment, not at all concerned that he was laying on a thin piece of metal and one shift to the right would pitch him several hundred feet downwards.

He wondered if he had been a little too careless with his latest account of his life. Then again, a lot of people had green eyes, and he no longer wore glasses, nor did his hair stick up much anymore. Still messy, but not completely gravity-defying.

Distractedly, he fingered the ring that hung from his neck. Storytelling these days brought back a lot of memories, some of them unwanted. But the kids still seemed interested, and while Chrome didn't say anything, she always listened attentively. The girl still floated on the outskirts of their group but Harry was sure it would get better. Come to think of it, maybe he should finally get around to meeting Ryohei's sister and perhaps borrow her for a bit. He could track down that other girl as well, the one that went to a different school. Some female company could be exactly what Chrome needed.

" _Harry_!"

If Harry hadn't been expecting it, he would've jerked and fallen off the railing. As it was, he still jerked and fell off the railing, pretending to tip over the side just to hear Shamal's horrified shout.

He caught the edge of the porch and easily swung himself back up again, grinning mischievously, only to wince when his partner whacked him upside the head.

"That was  _not_  funny!" Shamal growled, irritation sharpening the brown in his eyes to a cold almost-black. "You almost gave me heart failure!"

Harry fought the grin down to an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

Shamal glared before rolling his eyes, shoulders relaxing as the tension bled out of his frame and his temper defused.

"Seriously," He complained as they stepped back inside. "Stop pulling stunts like that. It was bad enough that time that assassin got the better of you-"

"I  _let_  him push me," Harry corrected.

"Off a  _cliff_!" Shamal exclaimed.

"And his face when I appeared behind him without a scratch was absolutely priceless," Harry finished. "Even you have to admit it."

Shamal rolled his eyes again but didn't contradict him. The man  _had_  looked ready to wet himself, right before the doctor-assassin had killed him with an uncharacteristic knife assault. Shamal didn't carry guns but he did have a knife or two in his arsenal, in addition to his dozen or so scalpels.

But even Harry had been surprised at the amount of cold fury behind the fatal neck wound his partner had dealt. He had never asked but he suspected it had been because the doctor hadn't quite caught sight of a perfectly healthy Harry until after the assassin had gone down. It had made him feel somewhat guilty but not enough to stop. He had to keep himself entertained somehow.

"Where's Chrome-chan?" Shamal asked, probably deciding to ignore Harry's latest brush with death via suicide fall.

"In her room," Harry settled himself on the counter. "I took her to the bookstore today and she picked out a few books. Also, I'm thinking of enrolling her into Namimori soon."

"Think she'll be ready?" Shamal frowned, obviously recalling Chrome's reticent nature.

"She never will be if she doesn't go, you know that; you're the doctor," Harry said firmly. "Though not for a few more weeks. I was thinking of letting her meet up with those two girls Tsuna hangs out with."

"Ah, Kyoko-chan and Haru-chan," Shamal grinned. "Two girlfriends and Tsuna still has no clue what he's doing, stammering and blushing all over the place like some virgin."

Harry sighed, suppressing the urge to kick his partner. "Technically, Tsuna  _is_  a virgin, but let's not go into that. Yes, those two. Chrome can't hang around an old man like me all the time."

Shamal quirked an eyebrow at him. "If you're old, what does that make me?"

"Ancient," Harry countered without missing a beat.

 _A baby_ , he added in his head with a wistful smile.

They bantered back and forth until Gokudera and Bianchi came home, and then Harry left to persuade Chrome into cooking a simple meal for them, with him only helping this time. The fish was slightly burnt, but Harry considered it a success when Bianchi complimented the meal in general and earned a pink flush of subdued but genuine pride from Chrome.

All in all, it was just another day in their ever-expanding home.

 


	9. A Step Forward

 

_They tiptoed past the three-headed dog, playing music to put it to sleep. Through the trapdoor they went, with Hermione conjuring fire to loosen the deadly Devil's Snare's grip. A chase on brooms for an elusive key to get past the key chamber, and playing a giant game of chess to get just one step further. Hatori cringed when the Queen clouted Ron over the head._

_The troll was already knocked out and that really should have been their first clue, but Hatori and Hermione were just glad they wouldn't have to face another one. On to the fire room with its poisons like ice. Hatori was lucky he had Hermione with him, who figured out the riddle in record time._

_Hermione would go back though, to retrieve Ron and fetch Dumbledore, and then Hatori was alone, with forward as his only option._

_It wasn't Snape, but Quirrell. Then again, if Snape really had been trying to kill him, the feared Potions Master would have been smart enough not to make his hatred of Hatori so well-known._

_Hatori managed to get the stone out of the mirror but Voldemort knew and Hatori was soon facing his parents' murderer, now stuck in the back of Quirrell's head._

_Quirrell tried to kill him but he couldn't touch Hatori, his hands burning whenever he tried to strangle him. So Hatori used that to his advantage; he leapt at Quirrell and held on, ignoring the burning agony of his scar and the screams that came from Quirrell and even the furious shouts that came from Voldemort._

_And as darkness dragged him under, Hatori only hoped it had been enough to protect the stone._

 

* * *

 

Harry frowned faintly as he rubbed at his temples. He had had a constant headache ever since Mukuro had checked in five days ago and told him that the jailbreak had gone the way he wanted and that he had met up with a member of the Vongola Famiglia and struck a deal with them. After that, the connection had become fuzzy, as if Mukuro couldn't quite concentrate enough to contact him.

Harry had known that once Mukuro was caught again, the teen wouldn't be placed in the same cell. Something worse would be in store for him but the conditions seemed to be even harsher than Harry had expected. The fuzziness over the connection was probably because the guards had drugged Mukuro, and every time Harry tried to get some shut-eye, his dreams would be filled with water and chains, the inability to move and the lack of sound and light.

For Harry, who had long since gotten used to the freedom to go anywhere he wanted whenever he wanted, with no one out there able to even catch him much less cage him, it was frankly terrifying. He had stopped trying to sleep three days ago but it had gotten so bad that glimpses of that place had started appearing every time he blinked.

"You look like shit."

Harry's jaw clenched and his gaze narrowed in an uncharacteristic glare. "Shamal, if you don't want me hanging you off the balcony in your birthday suit,  _shut up_."

Shamal raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Sorry, sorry," Concern creased his brow as he sat down across from Harry. "You're not getting any sleep."

Harry closed his eyes in an attempt to ward off the headache and then grimaced and opened them again when he was plunged back into the water tank. "What gave it away?" He snarked.

Shamal only raised an eyebrow, not at all bothered by Harry's irritation. "Want to tell me what's wrong?"

Harry sighed, trying not to blink now. "The Vindice locked Mukuro-kun up in a... tank, I think. Chained and everything. The link between our minds is interfering with my sleep."

Shamal frowned pensively. "The Vendicare Water Prison," He said, and Harry squinted at him. "It's a place they put the worst of criminals, the lowest sections in the entire prison. The criminals are contained in a water tank with all their muscle mass removed, and it's said that no sound or light would ever reach them."

"That's about right," Harry grunted, running a hand over his face. "It's a crappy place to be in."

There was a long, tense silence.

"You're... experiencing what Mukuro's experiencing?" Shamal asked slowly, horror dawning in his eyes as he finally understood.

Harry nodded curtly. "I'm back there every time I so much as blink but it's worse when I sleep, so I don't."

"Cut the link," Shamal said abruptly, words terse.

Harry's gaze snapped up again. "No. Mukuro-kun is drugged to his gills right now. It's why I can't get through to him. He's still adjusting to where he's been placed. A person could go crazy without any light or sound around him, without even being able to move. I'm pretty sure I'm helping him concentrate on reality."

"You're virtually inside Vendicare!" Shamal snapped through gritted teeth. "Not even Vongola goes against the Vindice because they're afraid of what those guards can do. What's inside that prison is a prime example."

"I'm not leaving him," Harry retorted. "As soon as the drugs are out of his system, Mukuro-kun should be able to use his illusions again."

"And how long is that going to take?" Shamal argued. "He's suspended in a containment prison. What if they keep him drugged?"

Harry paused, ignoring the pulsing ache in his head. That hadn't occurred to him. Well, if the guards were going to do that, then Harry supposed he would have to lend a hand and clear Mukuro's mind of the effects himself, if only to get some sleep at night. He preferred staying away from outright Legilimency but it didn't look like he was going to have much of a choice.

He rose to his feet, Shamal following suit with a wary look in his eyes. What are you doing?"

"Give me a few hours," Harry muttered, heading for his bedroom. "I'm doing what I probably should have done days ago."

He closed his door before Shamal could utter another word and quickly erected several privacy wards. He didn't want to be bothered while he did this.

Lying down on the bed, he closed his eyes and instantly disappeared into the water prison, darkness and immobility and all. With effort, he shoved those images out of the way, surrounding himself behind his mental shields as he surged through the wavering mind link that connected him to Mukuro.

"Mukuro-kun?" He called out quietly as he stepped into the teen's domain. The place was a murky wasteland, everything covered in a blanket of mist.

Receiving no response, Harry waved his hand with a silent  _Lumos Solem_  in mind and sunlight promptly flashed from his hand and into the air, bathing the mindscape in a warm glow.

"You shouldn't be here," A familiar voice remarked, and Harry glanced to the left and found Mukuro perched on a boulder, one arm balanced on a raised knee and his trident held loosely in his hand.

"You're giving me a headache," Harry countered as he approached. "I got tired of not sleeping. Pun intended."

Mukuro arched an eyebrow though Harry could see the strain around his eyes. "And what can you do here? You should have simply cut the link."

"Then where would I get good conversation?" Harry shot back, coming to a stop in front of the teen. He reached out and poked the slight frown between the boy's eyebrows. "Don't look so grumpy, Mukuro-kun. I don't make it a habit of invading people's minds. I just want to help."

He looked around again after Mukuro swatted his hand away without any real ire. "I'm guessing this mist isn't supposed to be here?"

"No," Mukuro confirmed succinctly. "But there isn't anything I can do. My focus is... lacking as long as it is here."

"And that's where I can help," Harry upped the power in his spell and the sunlight got brighter, rapidly erasing the thick mist around them. He frowned though when the mist lifted and all he could see was grey land.

"It's not healthy keeping your mind like this," He commented, glancing back at Mukuro who was watching the sunlight with a mix of fascination and almost-nostalgia.

Mukuro looked back at him, some of the weariness gone from his features. "Oh? And pray tell, what should it be instead? Rainbows and unicorns, perhaps?"

Harry snorted, absently anchoring the soft sunlight in the mindscape. It would only disappear if Mukuro really wanted it gone. "Rainbows are overrated, especially when the only things at the end of them are fake gold and thieving leprechauns. And unicorns generally stay away from people. No, you could just change this to a grassy field or a library or something. Peaceful and quiet. Though I suppose your illusions will help you see the real world once in a while, yeah?"

He peered at Mukuro who had an oddly intrigued look on his face.

"Hmm, I'll give it some thought," Mukuro agreed, sliding off the rock. "My apologies for disturbing your sleep. You'll be leaving now?"

Harry nodded, turning back towards the way he had come. "Yes, I'm getting concerned about those two friends of yours. They should have arrived two days ago at the very most. And I can't contact them unless they open their end."

"Yes you can," Mukuro objected calculatingly, completely disregarding the 'friends' bit with resigned ease.

Harry tilted his head and then shrugged as he slipped his hands into his pockets, a lazy slouch relaxing his frame again. "Yes I can, but I wouldn't, unless it was an emergency."

Mukuro smirked. "I never can decide whether or not you have morals. As soon as I decide on one, you do something to contradict it."

Harry smiled and waved a hand in the air as he headed back. "And that's how I'd like to keep it. Talk to you later, Mukuro-kun."

 

* * *

 

Harry opened his eyes and waited for his vision to focus. He had always disliked diving into minds. It left him feeling disoriented when he came back out.

With a muffled groan, he sat up, shaking his head to make sure the headache was gone. The mind link was clear again but he only brushed it to make sure Mukuro was alright before leaving it alone. The teen would need some rest first.

He took down the wards and then took a step back in surprise when the door suddenly burst open, spilling Shamal, Gokudera, and Bianchi inside, with Chrome hovering anxiously in the background. The former three collapsed onto the ground with a cacophony of yells even as they tried to untangle themselves.

"What is going on?" Harry enquired mildly, crossing his arms.

Shamal was the first to pick himself off the ground, straightening his coat as he got up. "What did it look like? We were trying to unlock your room."

"Why?" Harry asked, not sure whether to be puzzled or amused.

"You said a few hours," Shamal pointed out as Gokudera and Bianchi got up as well. "You've been in here for six."

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "That long?"

It was one of the few things he hadn't perfected over his long life. He could never get his timing right when he used legilimency for a long period of time.

"Yes, that long," Shamal eyed him critically. "We even tried the porch door but you had somehow sealed that too. Are you alright now?"

Harry smiled and nodded, watching as Shamal gave him one last cursory glance before shaking his head and heading back out. His partner never asked too many questions.

"I'm fine, Gokudera-kun," He assured, ushering the remaining two occupants out of the room and reaching out to ruffle Chrome's hair. "I just had something to do and lost track of time."

But even Chrome kept an extra-sharp eye on him that evening at dinner, so Harry was glad that it was four in the morning and the house's occupants had long since gone to bed when he was woken up by a faint but familiar voice.

_~Hadrian.~_

Harry stared up at the ceiling. So far, only Mukuro had ever called him by his full given name and neither Ken nor Chikusa had ever called him, period. It had always been Harry who had contacted them or Mukuro who included them in escape plans.

So, this was new.

_~Yes, Chikusa-kun?~_

A long silence ensued before Chikusa's voice came again, unusually subdued.  _~We need... assistance.~_

Harry was already out of bed and changing. Chikusa wouldn't be contacting him unless it was serious. Add to that the fact that both convicts should have arrived days ago and Harry could rightly conclude that something had gone wrong.

_~What is it?~_

_~Ken was injured,~_  The words came more quickly now that Chikusa seemed reassured that Harry wasn't going to refuse to help them.  _~One of the Vindice got off a good shot. The bullet's not inside though so we thought it would be fine if we just bandaged it but it's only gotten worse.~_

Harry quickly penned a note and tossed it on his bed in case he didn't return before Shamal woke up and knocked on his door, and then headed outside onto the porch.  _~Okay, where are you?~_

_~I don't know; a warehouse. Outside Namimori, but I don't know how far. We smuggled onto a plane to get here but it touched down three days ago and we've just been following maps ever since.~_

Harry leapt up easily onto the railing, balancing precariously in the night air.  _~No, that's not what I mean. Send me an image of what you can see. All the detail you can include.~_

He felt hesitance along the bond before an image of a warehouse with crates and pipes flooded his mind. Streets came next, and surrounding warehouses; a bridge in the distance; water, but not the ocean. A river of some sort. Streetlights. A flash of Ken on the ground with a ragged blanket under his head and a messy injury in his side.

Harry closed his eyes and focused on the warehouse. It was always risky Apparating to an unknown area, no matter how much experience one had.  _~Alright, I'm going to use Ken as a destination point. Focus on the area surrounding him.~_

An image flashed into his mind; crates in the corner, metal beams holding up the warehouse, metal floor.

 _~Stay still,~_  Harry ordered, and then took a deep breath, grabbed firmly onto the image, and jumped.

" _Bloody fuck!_ " Harry swore under his breath as his feet touched the ground and his shoulder spiked with pain. Damn, he hadn't fully splinched in a long, long time so he had probably only torn his skin open instead of leaving pieces of himself behind but it was still a nasty experience.

Straightening, he found Chikusa staring at him from a few feet away, undisguised shock colouring his features. Harry ignored it in favour of the blond boy lying on the ground at Chikusa's side.

"How long has he been like this?" Harry asked as he dropped to the ground beside Chikusa, ignoring the wet, sticky feeling just above his shoulder blade. He had a black coat on anyway; nobody could see.

To his credit, Chikusa didn't let Harry's sudden appearance faze him, pulling himself together again in a matter of seconds. "About a day. I thought he would just need some rest, but then he wouldn't wake up, so I had to..."

He trailed off but Harry didn't need to hear the rest of it. For people who were so used to depending on themselves, neither Chikusa nor Ken would want to lean on someone else if they could help it. Occasionally, the fact that Mukuro had done exactly that still surprised him, though Harry had had a lot more contact with him than these two.

One look at the injury and Harry could tell it was infected.

"Bullet's not in here anymore?" He asked, just to be sure. Chikusa shook his head, mouth a grim slash on his pale features.

That was something at least. Harry was over six thousand years old but even he couldn't miraculously perform open surgery at the drop of a hat. He had healed infection before though; the magic used felt the same as killing poison in a wound.

Felt, not simply  _was_ , because, in his original life, he had never actually sat down and learned advanced healing spells. He knew basic healing, but anything else was instinctual. It wasn't as if he needed to know how to heal himself. Put a bullet in his head and he'd be fine by morning.

Ken's skin was clammy but his face was flushed with fever. With a deepening frown, Harry placed a hand against the injury and allowed his magic to trickle into it.

Drawing out infection – or poison for that matter – was always harder than mending fractures and closing gashes. It took more magic, more energy, for some reason, and by the time Harry was satisfied with his work and Ken's expression was no longer twisted into a grimace, a bed was looking very nice in his near future. Coupled with the fact that he had barely slept in three days and Harry could admit to some exhaustion. He might be immortal but it didn't give him an endless supply of energy.

"Right, done," He managed to heal the injury until it was scabbing over before withdrawing and looking up. Chikusa couldn't seem to decide whether to stare at the nearly closed wound or at Harry himself. "Are you hurt?"

The blue-haired teen shook his head at once but Harry was in no mood for defiant posturing, even if it was the result of being unable to depend on anyone for so long. He narrowed his eyes at the convict – or was that ex-convict now? – and shot him a stern look.

Chikusa came close to scowling before reluctantly holding out his hand. "I sprained my wrist, but it's not important."

"Of course it's important," Harry sighed, reaching out to brush his fingers against the purple skin. "It's hurting you, isn't it?"

The bruising died down swiftly and Harry glanced up in time to catch a fleeting somewhat bewildered look flash across the teen's face. He had to suppress a smile at that.

"Come on," He clambered to his feet, stretching out his muscles. He had been healing for close to an hour. "I can teleport us back safely since I know where I'm going. I'd rather take one of you at a time though but it's your choice. I can take you both at once but it'll be uncomfortable."

Chikusa hesitated, looking torn as he glanced down at Ken before looking at Harry again.

"Take Ken first," He finally decided. "Your... teleportation will work for both of you?"

Harry nodded firmly as he bent down to gather the unconscious teen in his arms. "I can jump countries with anyone if I have a clear destination, Chikusa-kun."

He prepared to Apparate, and then looked back instinctively. Chikusa wasn't showing any real emotion outright but a cursory glance told Harry that the hands hidden in the teen's pockets were clenched into fists. The boy's gaze was clearly focused on Ken.

"Count to ten," Harry offered with a slight smile. "I'll be back within that time."

He Apparated away before Chikusa could consider getting peeved about Harry's words.

Harry jumped right back onto the porch before striding inside and placing the blond in his own bed. Making sure not to jostle the closing injury, he banished the note and then Apparated back to the warehouse. It was easier the second time around even though he still didn't know exactly where he was going. The torn-open skin on his back, already healing, tingled briefly but didn't hurt more than it already did.

"That was seven seconds," Chikusa commented when Harry appeared in front of him again.

"I did say within," Harry reminded him, pleased that the boy hadn't taken offense. He reached over to place a gentle hand on Chikusa's shoulder, not firming his grip until he felt the tension run out of the thin frame under his hand. "Alright, take a deep breath."

Chikusa did as he was told and Harry Apparated them away before either of them had time to blink.

 

* * *

 

"I don't treat men and you go and bring me two of them," Shamal grumbled as he released a nutrition-increase mosquito on the blond teen sitting up in bed. "And stop moving around, brat!"

Ken growled irritably at the Italian as he tried to swat the mosquito away. "I don't need your help! I don't even  _want_  your help! And don't call me brat, old man!"

Shamal glared right back as his mosquito easily swerved around the flailing limbs and injected its contents into the side of the boy's neck. "I'll call you what you are! And Harry, I hope you appreciate this!  _This_  is the reason I don't treat men! Honestly, 'old man'? There's just no gratitude these days."

From where he was stationed, Chikusa eyed the bickering duo in front of him before glancing sidelong at the man sitting next to him. For all intents and purposes, Hadrian looked like he was dead to the world – eyes closed, breathing even, chin resting against his chest, arms crossed – but Chikusa knew the Brit could be up and alert in the span of a heartbeat if there was danger nearby.

They had arrived at the apartment and he and Ken had been moved to an empty bedroom already set up for them. There were two beds, more comfortable than anything Chikusa had even seen, and the room was spacious even with the bookshelf, closets, desks, and beanbag chairs placed in various locations. They had a porch door as well, and Chikusa had already concluded that the glass was bulletproof.

And then Hadrian had called his partner in and he and Ken had been given a reluctant but thorough checkup. Chikusa was healthier than Ken but not by much and he was still rubbing absently at the faint three-pronged marks on the inside of his arm. He didn't trust the doctor but Mukuro-sama trusted Hadrian – to a certain degree – and Hadrian trusted Shamal so Chikusa had at least sat through his examination without too much fuss. It was more than could be said for Ken, who was complaining every time Shamal moved.

"Damn it, would you two  _shut up_? You're going to wake up Shishou!"

Chikusa surveyed the silver-haired bomber standing in the doorway, glaring warningly at the two by the bed. He remembered fighting Gokudera Hayato; the bomber had put up a surprisingly good fight, though from the way the teen called Hadrian 'Shishou', Chikusa surmised that the Brit was Gokudera's teacher. A good fight was to be expected.

Poison Scorpion was supposed to be living here part-time as well but spent most of the week over at Vongola Decimo's house in the guest bedroom there. Why she needed two places to live was beyond him.

And then there was the girl he and Ken were supposed to protect. So far, Chikusa hadn't seen hide or hair of her but she was supposed to be Hadrian's charge now so she had to be around somewhere.

"Calm down, Hayato," Shamal said touchily, grabbing his medical bag before turning for the door. "I'm done. I suggest bed rest while your bodies adjust to the shots, but if you two feel like overworking yourselves, do me a favour and go down a few blocks before you collapse. You'll be shipped to the hospital and be their problem then."

Chikusa sighed as Ken started up another loud tirade at this. "Ken, be quiet. I can't sleep with you yelling like that."

Ken rounded on him, his signature scowl on his face. "You're not sleeping anyway!  _He_  is!"

There was a moment of silence in which everyone turned to look at the slumbering Brit resting on the edge of Chikusa's bed. The man was actually leaning sideways against the headboard, upright but slouched as his shoulder supported his weight. There were faint bags under his eyes.

Shamal sighed gustily before making his way over to Hadrian. "Harry, wake up. You can't sleep in here."

The Brit shifted but didn't wake up immediately. The doctor placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him gently, only for Hadrian to curl into himself even further. "Come on, Harry. What are you, a puppy?"

Another shake and Hadrian jerked awake, eyes still unfocused as he muttered, "Sirius?"

Shamal frowned but didn't pursue the matter. "Just me, Harry. You should get back to your own room."

Hadrian stifled a yawn as the last of the sleep left him and he straightened up, finally taking in the room's occupants. "Ah, sorry, didn't mean to fall asleep."

He stretched languidly, all long limbs and grace, before turning to Chikusa and Ken. "Do you two want something to eat before you sleep? Or maybe a hot shower somewhere in between?"

Chikusa glanced at Ken who seemed to be gearing up to argue against Hadrian's questions, but he rather liked the idea of a hot shower and quickly cut in, "I'd like a shower."

Hadrian smiled, any traces of weariness wiped from his features. Even the bags seemed to be gone, though how he managed that Chikusa didn't know. "Towels are in the bathroom. I picked out some clothes for you two – they're in the closet – but you can go shopping later for more."

By the time Hadrian and the other two had left, Ken was fuming. "Kaki-pi! We're not charity cases!"

Chikusa dug through his closet and came up with underwear and a dark blue pair of pajamas. "Of course not, but I can't remember the last time I had a hot shower. And Mukuro-sama said we'll be living here. We might as well get used to it."

"But-"

"Does Hadrian seem like the type to take in charity cases?" Chikusa asked rhetorically right before shutting the bathroom door. He considered it a success when he didn't hear anything else from the blond.

 

* * *

 

"This is disgusting!"

"You'll eat it if you know what's good for you!"

"Seriously, I've found better food in dumpsters than this crap! Hell,  _I_  can cook better than this! How have the rest of you not died from food poisoning yet?!"

"You damn brat! I've got to get ready for work in ten minutes. If you're not done by then, I'm cleaning up anyway!"

Hayato drew in a fortifying breath before releasing it as he slowly counted backwards from fifty in his head. How Harry put up with Shamal was something Hayato was still trying to puzzle out. How Hayato was putting up with both his former mentor and one of their newest additions to their household at the same time was a downright unsolvable mystery.

Hayato had silently agreed with Shamal when the doctor had left Harry alone. The man looked too tired to wake up just to cook for them but Hayato had had some last minute calculations to write out for his math homework – he couldn't care less about schoolwork but Harry might and he didn't want to give Jyuudaime more to worry about if the stupid teacher decided to give him detention again – and couldn't cook breakfast himself, which left Shamal. Hayato was no five-star chef but even his food was better than Shamal's.

Add to that the fact that Chrome had yet to make an appearance – the girl was still far too thin – and Shamal was shooting frustrated glances in her bedroom's general direction, the morning was even more hectic than usual.

"Alright, that's it!" Hayato barked, slamming his hands on the table as he shot to his feet. "Would you both  _shut up_?! Shamal, stop arguing like a five-year-old! You're a grown man for God's sakes! And you, bastard, be grateful you've got a place to live and stop complaining about the food!"

Temperament already heated, Hayato stormed towards the bedroom wing and banged on Chrome's door. "Girl, get out here and eat! And meet your goddamn bodyguards! That's the whole reason they're here!"

He didn't wait for an answer and stalked away again instead, only pausing to snatch up his bag before heading for the door. He couldn't believe a day had come where he had to be the one to calm everyone  _else_  down. He was supposed to be the one with the uncontrollable temper, damn it!

"Gokudera-kun."

He stiffened, freezing mid-step with his hand on the doorknob before whirling around. Oh fuck, he had woken up Harry anyway.

"Sh- Shishou," He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, anger draining out of him. "Sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"You forgot your bento," Harry interrupted, his lunchbox wrapped in red cloth dangling from one hand. Hayato's eyes widened. His mentor must have already gotten up and had been in the kitchen making lunch.

"Th- Thanks!" He stammered out, accepting it with a shy duck of his head. Harry almost always made a bento for him to bring to school and that was something he had never had before.

Harry just smiled and waved. "Mm. Have a good day at school. I'll meet you over at Tsuna's for history after that."

"Yeah, see you later, Shishou!" Good mood restored, Hayato waved back before bounding out the door. At least his morning wasn't completely ruined, and Harry's food was always the best.

 

* * *

 

Harry released a silent sigh before turning to the people sitting around the dinner table. Shamal looked mildly guilty while Chikusa sat stiffly in his chair. Ken was still bristling but he seemed to be out of words at the moment.

He sighed again. He seemed to be sighing in the last twenty-four hours. Wordlessly, he headed for Chrome's bedroom. It would be best if his charge stopped hiding and actually met Ken and Chikusa.

"Chrome," He called out, knocking quietly on the door. "I know you're awake. Come on out. No point in staying in your room all day, and we did agree to start on your studies today."

There was a short silence and then the lock clicked and the door slowly swung open. A violet eye peered out before Chrome stepped outside, wearing a simple pale pink long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans this time.

"Come on," Harry ushered her into the dining room. "You can't be the only one to not suffer through Shamal's food this morning."

"Hey!"

Harry grinned but pulled Chrome to his side and focused on the two newcomers instead. "This is Chrome. Chrome, that's Ken-kun and the other's Chikusa-kun. You three get along, okay?"

Ken huffed, crossing his arms. "What are we, five? We're not here to get along. All we have to do is protect the stupid girl for Mukuro-sama."

Harry felt Chrome hunch into herself under his hand and he directed a bland smile towards Ken. "Yes, I suppose that is all you have to do. However, I would appreciate some measure of restraint in your speech or you just might find yourself turned into an amphibian one morning."

Ken gaped and Shamal muffled a laugh with a cough as he got to his feet. "I gotta get to work. Now that you're up, I'll leave the brats to you."

Harry nodded and waved his partner out the door, tossing the man's bento and coat out after him. Frankly, there were times, especially mornings, when Shamal would forget his own head if it wasn't attached to the rest of him.

"...Can you really turn Ken into an amphibian?"

Harry glanced over at Chikusa who was leaning forward with a faintly interested look on his face.

"Perhaps," Harry replied noncommittally as Ken rounded on his partner with an indignant look on his face. "But it would probably be in his best interests if no one ever finds out."

He steered Chrome to the table and sat her down, ignoring the splutters coming from the blond. "Now that I have all of you together without anyone else around, I might as well bring this up. School."

Ken instantly stopped any further complaints as Harry's words registered in his mind, momentarily freezing his entire being. Chikusa was doing moderately better, stilling in his seat, his fork halfway to his mouth. Chrome's visible eye had widened even as she stared at the table in front of her.

"Chrome," Harry continued. "I know we agreed to do some private tutoring sessions but you can't get a proper education from me."

He paused. Well, she probably could, but it just wasn't healthy for a thirteen-year-old girl to stay indoors all day.

"So it would be best to enroll the three of you in Namimori. Not right away, of course, but maybe in a few weeks. Thoughts?"

Ken, of course, was the first to voice his grievances. "Hell no! What do I need to go to school for? I know how to fight and that's all I need."

"And if you need the smarts to calculate the trajectory of a bullet?" Harry challenged. "If you need to draw up a set of blueprints for a building you're breaking into? If you need to make a bomb with limited chemicals on hand? If you need to know the background of a place you're entering as a spy and you need to con the people there to believe you actually belong? If you need to hack into a computer to gather intel? If you need to know how to speak a different language other than Italian or Japanese? That's math, art, science, history, computers, and a language elective right there. Still think you don't need to go to school?"

Dead silence met his enquiry. Harry wasn't exaggerating. If you knew how to apply the knowledge they taught you at school and twist it for your own uses, you could do a hell of a lot in the criminal world.

"The school year is half over," Chikusa remarked, as level-headed as ever. "We know some things; the... Estraneo didn't want us completely stupid, but we'd still have some catching up to do."

"Then catch up," Harry shrugged, a dare in his eyes. "I'll help. You go to school and work hard and I'll tutor you in anything you need help on, even if I have to pull a week's worth of all-nighters to get you caught up. And you can join Tsuna and his friends when I tutor them in history."

Chikusa made a vague sound in his throat, prodding at the lump of charcoal-like egg on his plate. "Well, I have to do something to pass the time."

That was as good as an affirmation and Harry quirked a smile in the blank-faced teen's direction before turning to the other two.

Ken was looking between Chikusa and Harry, seemingly torn.

"I guess if Kaki-pi's going, then I'll have to go too," The blond mumbled at last. "We'll be in Vongola territory after all."

Harry grinned at him, just an edge of triumph in his expression which had Ken huffing in annoyance again. Deciding against teasing the boy some more, he focused on Chrome instead.

The girl was still staring at the table, fingers curled around the edge of her seat. Harry studied her for a moment, propping his head in one hand as he ran through his options.

"Tell you what, Chrome," He started. "You won't have to go to school until you want to."

Chrome's head jerked up, and she seemed to search him for any deceit before nodding in agreement.

"How come she gets a choice?" Ken asked crossly.

Harry smiled pleasantly at him, making the blond shrink backwards a little. "Because I say so. Now the two of you are probably tired. Feel free to sleep for as long as you want. I'll have food ready for you when you wake up."

The two pushed away from the table, Chikusa nodding his thanks for the meal while Ken simply stomped out of the room, muttering darkly under his breath. Harry held back another amused smile. The blond reminded him of Gokudera in some ways.

He rose to his feet and started gathering up the plates and cutlery. Chrome automatically did the same. He would have to make an omelette for her for breakfast before they started on her studies.

 

* * *

 

In a rare moment of extreme quiet, Ryohei gathered up his sports bag, surveyed the gym one last time to make sure he had put away all the equipment, before heading for the door, locking it behind him.

He turned, and then blinked in surprise when he found Sawada's history tutor sitting on a nearby bench, leaning back on his hands and staring absently up at the sky. There weren't many people around this late in the afternoon, especially not near the gym reserved for boxing practice, so the man must have been waiting for him. Maybe.

And Ryohei couldn't, for the life of him, remember the tutor's name. He remembered the man's fluid movements when he had taken both those not-very-extreme bad guys down and he remembered the fight he had witnessed from one of the windows in the Nurse's Office between Hibari and this foreigner but he couldn't remember the name. Every time, he had gone over to Octopus-Head's apartment or Sawada's house for extreme Family stuff or the storytelling, the tutor had sometimes been there, sometimes not, and he had always just been Sawada's history tutor in Ryohei's mind. Darn it.

"Ryohei-kun."

Ryohei beamed his usual extreme grin when the man caught sight of him and waved. He jogged over, shouldering his bag as he came to a stop in front of him. He  _really_  couldn't remember the tutor's name and decided bluntness would be the fastest way to find out.

"I apologize to the extreme!" He announced. "I extremely don't remember your name!"

The man looked at him for a moment before chuckling softly, not at all offended. "You can call me Harry. How was boxing practice?"

Ryohei brightened further at the mention of his favourite sport and plopped down beside the man – Harry – as he went through all the training he had put his club members through, complete with excited hand gestures and demonstrations.

To Ryohei's amazement, Harry actually listened, sometimes interjecting with a question but mostly hearing him out without interruption. Ryohei knew he could come off somewhat strong and Kyoko had admonished him more than once for being too enthusiastic, but how could he not? He loved boxing, and he firmly believed that life should be lived to the extreme. To him, there wasn't much point in being moody and depressed when there was always something you could find to be happy about.

"We still don't have a club advisor though so we can't go to tournaments," Ryohei's mood dampened a little at that thought. "We also need a manager but the school said one person can take on both extreme roles."

"You asked me to fill in that position," Harry reminded him offhandedly.

Ryohei whipped his head around and stared. No one really took his extreme offers to join the Boxing Club seriously, not even Sawada, who was one of the most extreme people he knew.

"I don't know much about boxing," Harry continued. "But I talked to the school earlier and they were quite... keen to hire me for the job."

Ryohei scratched his head. That was odd. The teachers always seemed exasperated and reluctant to help whenever he visited them to see about a club advisor. At least four times a week.

But, if Harry was offering...

"You'll be our extreme manager?" He asked hopefully.

Harry smiled shrewdly. "On one condition; next time you come around to the apartment, bring your sister with you. And maybe get her to invite those friends of hers as well. The long-haired one and the one that goes to the other school, Haru."

Ryohei didn't always understand the more complicated things people talked about but anything that had to do with his sister was something he  _practiced_  at understanding. And he remembered the new girl who lived in the apartment now as well, the one who never talked to anyone besides Harry and kept out of sight most of the time, the one who reminded him a little of Kyoko when his sister had been much younger and more timid around other people.

"I agree to the extreme!" He proclaimed. "Kyoko knows all sorts of girl stuff that will make Chrome fit in to the extreme!"

Harry laughed outright this time. "I'm glad. Thanks, Ryohei-kun. Now then, if I'm going to be advising and managing, I'll need a schedule of your practices and stats on you and your teammates and- whoa!"

Ryohei was already back on his feet and dragging the older man after him. "Harry-san, I can draw up the schedules and give you the files for everyone on the team. Let's go!"

 

* * *

 

"Hey," Shamal knocked on the open door for courtesy's sake as he peered into Harry's room. His partner was sitting at his desk, the desk light still on and sheets of paper scattered everywhere. "What are you doing still up?"

Harry capped his pen and ran a hand over his face before turning to look at him fully. "Work. Ryohei-kun's done a good job at filing his teammates' personal info but I still need to check everything over and, unfortunately, his handwriting's not the best."

Shamal frowned, slipping inside and pulling up a chair. "Are you sure you should take on this job as well? You're tutoring Tsuna and his friends in history, tutoring Chrome-chan in everything, and now you're managing a club as well. Not to mention you've got training sessions with Hayato, play dates with Hibari, and storytelling at least once a week."

"Mm, I'll manage," Harry waved a hand. "This isn't anywhere near as busy as I'm used to. I tutor Tsuna, Gokudera-kun, and Yamamoto-kun only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I tutor Chrome during school hours. Boxing practices are Monday and Tuesday afternoons and Thursday and Friday mornings,  _early_ , so I'll be back in time to make breakfast. I have spars with Hibari-kun on Sunday afternoons and training sessions with Hayato on Wednesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. Storytelling is whenever I find the time. It's a light enough workload."

Shamal just shook his head. "If that's a light workload, I shudder to think what a heavy one would look like for you. Just don't overwork yourself."

Harry smiled wryly at him. "I'll try not to."

Shamal rolled his eyes. "On another note, how's your shoulder?"

Harry glanced at him again. "Ah, you noticed."

Shamal snorted. "I'm a  _doctor_. It's my job to notice. And I'm an assassin; I smelled the blood. But I figured you wouldn't want me pointing it out in front of the brats so I didn't."

Harry inclined his head in thanks. "It's fine. It's already healed so there's no need to worry." An amused smirk made its way onto his face. "Besides, you don't treat men."

Shamal shrugged. "Yeah, but you're my partner."

Harry arched an eyebrow. "Are you implying that I'm not a man?"

Shamal snickered. "Well, I don't know. Put on a dress, maybe some makeup; and you're certainly slender enough to pass for a woma-"

Almost cackling, he ducked out of the bedroom as a pencil sharpener flew over his head. "Night, Harry. Don't stay up too late."

A good-natured grumble was returned as Shamal headed into his own bedroom.

 

* * *

 

_Hatori hadn't wanted to go back to Number Four Privet Drive but Dumbledore had insisted and there wasn't anything he could do about it so here he was again. It was fairly difficult to tell who detested his presence in the house more._

_His aunt and uncle had complained about everything from his hair to his trunk and broomstick – which had been locked away in the cupboard – to his owl. Poor Hedwig had been locked in his cage ever since they had arrived home, something his uncle had ordered since none of Hatori's relatives wanted anything to do with His Kind._

_Today was his twelfth birthday and though Hatori hadn't expected much, it still rankled him that the only thing of importance to his relatives was the business dinner his uncle had been going on about for weeks. Hatori had even hoped to be completely forgotten, but to his growing resentment, his aunt promptly had him cleaning the windows, washing the car, mowing the lawn, trimming the flowerbeds, pruning and watering the roses, and repainting the garden bench, with the promise of no food until he was finished. To top it off, Hatori hadn't received so much as a slip of parchment from his friends, not even just a passing birthday greeting. He had gotten no letters at all._

_It was half past seven in the evening when at last, exhausted, he heard Aunt Petunia calling him. "Get in here! And walk on the newspaper!"_

_Hatori moved gladly into the shade of the gleaming kitchen. On top of the fridge stood tonight's pudding: a huge mound of whipped cream and sugared violets. A loin of roast pork was sizzling in the oven._

_"Eat quickly! The Masons will be here soon!" Snapped Aunt Petunia, pointing to two slices of bread and a lump of cheese on the kitchen table. She was already wearing a salmon-pink cocktail dress._

_Hatori was finished in five minutes and ushered up the steps in one. He had planned to spend the rest of the evening and night sleeping, but the house-elf on his bed had different plans._

_"There will be great danger at Hogwarts this year," The elf, Dobby, warned. "Hatori must promise not to go back."_

_But Hogwarts was all the freedom Hatori had ever had and he wasn't about to give that up. Dobby was determined though, and Hatori soon found himself downstairs with a Hover Charm hanging over his head, his relatives furious, and the house-elf nowhere to be found._

_"You didn't tell us you weren't allowed to use magic outside school," Said Uncle Vernon, a mad gleam dancing in his eyes. "Forgot to mention it… Slipped your mind, I daresay…"_

_And then he was bearing down on Hatori like a great bulldog, all his teeth bared. "Well, I've got news for you, boy… I'm locking you up… You're never going back to that school… never… and if you try and magic yourself out — they'll expel you!"_

_And laughing like a maniac, he dragged Hatori back upstairs._

_Uncle Vernon was as bad as his word. The following morning, he paid a man to fit bars on Hatori's window. He himself fitted a cat-flap in the bedroom door, so that small amounts of food could be pushed inside three times a day. They let Hatori out to use the bathroom morning and evening. Otherwise, he was locked in his room around the clock._

_He was there for three cold, hunger-filled days before Ron Weasley and his twin brothers came to rescue him, breaking him out and whisking him back to their house in a flying Ford Anglia._

_The rest of the summer certainly proved to be looking up._

 

* * *

 

"I don't think I've ever thanked you for everything you've done," Nana said lightly as she nursed a cup of tea at the kitchen table while Harry washed the dishes for her. The man was always so sweet, insisting on doing the cleanup whenever he stayed over for dinner. She was even happier that Tsuna had picked up a few of Harry's habits. Her son had even volunteered to do the vacuuming the other day and took out the garbage for her every week now, and if that wasn't a combination of Reborn and Harry's influence, she didn't know what was.

"It's no problem, Nana-san," Harry smiled over at her. "I'm happy to help. I've done my fair share of dishes when I was young. It's pretty much routine to clean up after a meal now."

Nana smiled back. "Not just for the dishes, Harry-kun. For teaching Tsu-kun as well."

"Ah, that. Reborn hired me for my knowledge of Japanese history," Harry waved a soapy hand but there was a gleam of comprehension in his eyes and Nana knew the man understood what she was really thanking him for.

She had always wanted someone Tsuna could look up to while growing up, had desperately wanted that person to be Iemitsu and had wistfully wished for another son perhaps, an elder brother for Tsuna to adore and admire, sometimes. But Iemitsu was always busy, calling occasionally and coming home even less than that.

Nana wasn't the smartest person and she didn't mind other people believing her to be a bit clueless but she liked to think she knew her family fairly well. She had known her son had simply needed that extra push to grow, something he now had, and she knew her husband...

Well, she knew Iemitsu hid a lot of things from them. Construction workers didn't stay away from home for years at a time. They didn't travel to the South Pole and hang around penguins while they worked. They didn't leave files of weapon blueprints behind the bookshelf in their study. And they certainly didn't hide handguns under the floorboards behind the wine cabinet.

Up until recently, Nana was the one who did the housework and she had eventually found various questionable items around the house. Her first reaction had been to call Iemitsu and ask for an explanation but he would most likely give her a, pardon her language, half-assed answer. Her second had been to dispose of said items, but then Iemitsu might get into trouble and for all his faults, she did love the man.

So she had hidden everything she had found at the back of her closet, under lock and key so Tsuna wouldn't be able to get to them – her son, even only a couple years back, finding a gun and accidentally pulling the trigger while he was on the wrong end of it still gave her nightmares – and putting them back just before Iemitsu got home. That way, no one was any the wiser and Nana could keep Tsuna safe.

She knew Reborn wasn't  _just_  a baby either. No mere baby wielded guns and drank coffee like it was going out of style, no matter how much of a genius they were, and every instinct she possessed told her Reborn had everything to do with whatever her husband was neck-deep in.

But she had let him in anyway, keeping a discreet but sharp eye on him as the days passed, and when the only things that changed were more friends and better study habits for her son, she allowed him to stay.

All of them must honestly think she was deaf though if they didn't realize she had heard the explosions and not-so-quiet shouts of mafia behind closed doors. It didn't take long to connect the dots. She worried about her son getting into what her husband was already dealing with himself but she had always believed that everyone should make their own choices, and for all that Tsuna was scared of a lot of things, she had been the one to raise him and she had taught him that some lines were never to be crossed. She knew that her son would put his foot down against anything he truly disagreed with.

As time went on, other Mafioso came to stay, but she liked Bianchi – it was nice to have another woman in the house to talk to – and she was thrilled to have more kids to take care of. The doctor didn't seem too bad for all his debatable tendencies, and the man that had come with him...

Nana hadn't been sure what to make of him in the beginning. Harry hadn't given off the same... feel as the others had, always calm and collected and patient with the chaos around him. Sometimes, she would listen in on the history lessons too, and she had been surprised when she had found them quite interesting. The story he was currently telling every week proved to be just as intriguing and the magic tricks he sometimes indulged the children with were enthralling.

But it was the subtle way he had taken all the children, even Gokudera Hayato who had scowled and glared at Harry in the beginning, under his wing that made Nana accept him completely. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the new girl now staying in Harry's apartment was the same one mentioned in the paper by the hysterical pathetic excuse of a mother, and Nana secretly approved of everything Harry had done to them. She hated child abuse, and if anyone had ever harmed her own son in such a manner, she wouldn't rest until they had paid in full.

She wondered if Harry would deny his affection for them. As far as she knew, the man had never lied, preferring to simply remain tight-lipped on a matter instead of being deceitful, but it wouldn't exactly be a lie if he himself didn't realize just how attached he was.

At the moment though, her mind flashed back to the letter she had received in the mail only yesterday. She hadn't even told Tsuna yet, not sure how he would take to such news, and it wasn't as if she could talk about it with a neighbour or something.

As if on cue, Harry put away the last plate and wandered over to the table, drying his hands as he enquired, "Something on your mind, Nana-san?"

Despite her troubled thoughts, she smiled again, idly wishing her tea was a little warmer. She blinked down at it when the cup heated up in her hands, just enough for her to enjoy it. She looked back at Harry who was half-turned away and hanging up the towel in his hands.

"I received a letter yesterday," She blurted out before she could stop herself. The nonjudgmental eyes that found her gaze unconsciously eased some of her worries. "From my husband, Iemitsu. He's coming back in a few weeks."

Harry nodded but said nothing as he took a seat, no 'you must be happy' or 'that's great!' or any other meaningless pleasantries that people who didn't understand the situation would say.

"He hasn't been back in three years," Nana sighed, taking a sip of tea. "Sometimes, that man is infuriating."

"But you love him?" Harry questioned placidly.

"Of course," Nana said at once, automatically, swiftly, mechanically. She fumbled momentarily for words that wouldn't come as Harry appraised her from across the table.

Again, he didn't say anything, keeping quiet as Nana sorted out her thoughts.

"I do," She finally said. "Love him, I mean. It's just hard, sometimes. He's away more often than not and when he does come home, it's only for a week or so." She paused, and then added a touch mournfully, "I don't think Tsu-kun respects him at all. Iemitsu isn't around often enough for his own son to feel anything towards him."

"Hmm," Harry braced an elbow on the table and leaned his head in one hand as he mulled her words over. "Well, that's not likely to change if he doesn't stop lying, right?"

Nana's eyes widened before she offered a rueful smile. "Yes, I suppose so. But his timing is strange. When he does come home, he usually arrives around our anniversary. He even added that he would be staying for at least a month this time. It... probably has something to do with Tsu-kun, doesn't it?"

A thoughtful look surfaced on Harry's face as he studied her. "Most likely," He agreed at last.

Nana's shoulders slumped a little. Sometimes (most of the time), she wished Iemitsu would come home just for the sake of his family, for longer than a week, just for them, just because he had missed them and wanted to spend time with them.

No more words were exchanged for a long while. There wasn't much to say after that. Harry was the type to know that some situations couldn't be solved with words alone.

"I hope you don't mind me saying so," Harry interjected nonchalantly at length. "But your husband is an ungrateful fool."

Nana couldn't help gaping a bit at the blunt words before her eyes narrowed and she drew herself up instinctively. Harry stared right back, gaze serene and unflinching and unapologetic.

She glanced away first. Deep down, in the tiny part of her heart where she stored the anger and hurt and resentment she felt towards her husband, she agreed with Harry wholeheartedly.

A pale hand covered her own in a purely comforting manner and she looked up again to find Harry still watching her, something genuine and somber in his eyes.

"You're an amazing woman, Nana-san," Harry told her in such a matter-of-fact tone that she couldn't help blushing. "Raising a kid alone couldn't have been easy and making sure he turned out so well is even harder. You deserve better than the way he treats you, but I know love doesn't always work that way. It's not always fair. Being faithful is a large part of love, after all. Just don't let yourself remain faithful because you're afraid of change."

Nana remained sitting for a long time after Harry had patted her hand and then left for the night. By the time she finished her still-warm tea and gone up to bed after saying goodnight to all the occupants in the house, some of the weight from before seemed to have left her shoulders.

As she got ready for bed, she thought back to the unyielding belief in those green eyes when he had spoken his mind, unwavering in his conviction and sincerity even when most people would've backed down or stammered out an apology.

She thought it was a good thing Tsuna had, perhaps, found an older brother in a man like that.

 

* * *

 

 _Flying a Ford Anglia to school wasn't the smartest thing Hatori had ever done, but it was one of the most enjoyable, so after getting reamed out by Dumbledore, McGonagall,_ and _Snape, he couldn't help grinning when his roommates congratulated him for his unique arrival._

_Unfortunately for him, the next day was nowhere near as pleasant, as the new Defense professor proved to be even more useless than the last one. Gilderoy Lockhart also seemed determined to be a thorn in Hatori's side, embarrassing him with announcements of signed photos and false lectures of grandeur. Hatori was ready to throttle the man within the first day of school._

_Problems piled up as the weeks passed. People started getting petrified, frozen solid as stone, and Hatori always seemed to be at the wrong place at the wrong time when it happened. His first game of Quidditch was interrupted by a rogue bludger, which he later learned had been cursed by Dobby. Hatori had been more than a little irritated but he couldn't stay angry at such a wretched creature who honestly seemed to care about him._

_To make matters worse, Hatori learned that he was a Parselmouth, someone who could talk to snakes, and he was dismayed to find out that it was something Voldemort could do as well, if only because the entire school began shunning him for it._

 

* * *

 

Hibari had gotten better, not that Harry ever thought he wouldn't. There were some people in the world who were born to fight and Hibari was one of them.

The boy's still just a boy though and none of his blows had managed to sneak past Harry's defense yet. He flipped backwards to avoid a rain of icy darts before darting forward again and getting a few of his own punches in. He was holding back but the blows were still strong enough to force Hibari to stagger.

They had been sparring for over an hour now and Hibari was starting to look ragged around the edges. Harry had been pushing the teen hard and even he was mildly impressed that the prefect was still on his feet.

When the boy's form finally began falling apart, Harry weaved and twisted between the tonfa slashes, catching both of Hibari's wrists and forcing him to let go of his weapons.

"Good spar, but I believe that's enough for today," Harry said cheerfully as he let go, producing two towels and throwing one at Hibari while he wiped at his own brow.

Hibari didn't reply but that could be attributed to the fact that he was panting for breath. He seemed more than a little disgruntled that he hadn't been able to land a single blow on Harry but the passionate glint that always appeared when facing him only burned brighter.

Harry hid a smile behind the towel draped over his head. One day, Hibari would be able to give as good as he got.

Twenty minutes later, they had showered – Harry hadn't been able to decide whether to be amused or stunned when Hibari had invited him back to his house and offered him the use of his bathroom – and changed into a fresh set of clothes and were now seated in what Harry assumed was the prefect's favourite restaurant. The tiny place was old-fashioned but the food and tea were great and the atmosphere soothing.

"You are the new advisor and manager for the boxing club," Hibari stated after a few comfortable minutes of silence.

Harry inclined his head in confirmation as he started on his takoyaki. "Ryohei-kun asked a while back and I needed a favour from him anyway."

Hibari glanced at him sharply. "I doubt Sasagawa Ryohei or any of those herbivores you insist on associating with would have refused anything you asked of them."

Harry tilted his head. "Even if it harmed his sister?"

Hibari raised an eyebrow with his own brand of arrogance. "You would not ask him of that."

Harry chuckled. "So sure of that, are you? I suppose I wanted to see how well he fights too. It's a shame he couldn't participate in any tournaments up until now. From what I've seen so far, his skill in boxing is exceptional."

Hibari grunted but didn't contradict his opinion. They sat in another round of companionable silence, Harry ordering another boat of takoyaki and pushing it into the middle so they could share.

"I checked Surrey, England," Hibari started again, and Harry glanced across the table, chewing slowly as he caught the prefect's narrowed gaze. "No Potters have lived in that area for the past eighty years."

Harry took a sip of sake, amused and impressed at the same time. Hibari had asked for his birthplace  _months_  ago. The prefect must have been looking all this time, through whatever means he could get his hands on.

"Nevertheless, I was born in Surrey," Harry maintained. "Though I applaud you for your sheer tenacity. I don't believe even Reborn has done such a thorough search."

Hibari's eyes narrowed further in suspicion as if trying to decide whether or not Harry was mocking him. Obviously concluding in the negative, the prefect returned to his tea without further question.

Harry observed him over the rim of his sake cup and absently wondered why Hibari didn't consider the fact that he just might be lying. He wasn't, of course, and he never lied if he could help it – deceive, hide, evade, redirect, but never outright lie – but it should still occur to the reclusive teen, shouldn't it?

But Hibari said nothing more and the two were soon on their way back to their respective homes. However, before they parted ways for the day, the prefect tossed him a red cloth badge that depicted the Namimori emblem in white.

Hibari didn't stick around to explain, walking off as abruptly as he always did, but Harry eyed the badge a moment longer before slipping it away.

An invitation and an acknowledgment. It was always that way between them. Hibari would continue looking into Harry's life, something Harry wasn't about to outright divulge, while Harry, who now had something precious to the prefect in his possession, was welcome to the teen's own life. A measure of respect had gone into the gift as well. The badge would more than likely give him full access to the school, even bypassing the famous Disciplinary Committee he had heard of.

With a smile to himself, Harry headed home. All in all, it had been an interesting week.

 

* * *

 

_~Hadrian.~_

_~Hm?~_

_~I have mentioned the deal I made with the Vongola.~_

_~Yes. You've taken up the post of half the Vongola Mist Guardian. Tsuna's friends are the others. Bearers of the Vongola rings.~_

_~Indeed. However, Sawada Tsunayoshi's opposition will be coming soon.~_

_~I've heard. Nono's long-lost son has resurfaced and wishes to claim the throne. Seems like an angry brat, from what I've heard.~_

_~Kufufufu, you're the only one I know who would call Xanxus an angry brat. In fact, I do believe he is older than you.~_

_~Mukuro-kun, I'm young in body, old in soul. Unless they prove otherwise through their actions, I consider everyone brats.~_

_~...I do wonder just how much truth is in that statement.~_

_~Hmm?~_

_~Well, I will figure you out sooner or later. For now, do keep an eye on dear Chrome for me. And as I'm feeling gracious today, I shall offer you one last piece of information I am sure your informants have yet to divulge. The Vongola will be sending a messenger at the end of next week with a set of Half Vongola rings, but they are fake. The Chiavarone boss will be accompanying the messenger but he will take a different route. Finally, the CEDEF leader will arrive shortly after, but that... man is unimportant. The Varia will most likely send one of their own ahead to retrieve these rings. Your student will at least put up a good fight, perhaps even hold off the enemy until the Bucking Horse arrives. I advise against that so be sure to warn your puppy.~_

_~...You're rather loose-tongued today, Mukuro-kun.~_

_~Hadrian.~_

_~Yes, yes, I will make sure the right people know what to do. Honestly though, one would think you actually cared.~_

_~Of course not, but I can hardly request books from my jailors, can I? Planning battle strategies against potential enemies is better than nothing.~_

_~I'll keep that in mind. ...You should probably assure Ken and Chikusa that you haven't died though. They were trying to contact you earlier, especially before they arrived.~_

_~If I must, but only because even conversing with them is better than this monotony.~_

_~Understood, Mukuro-kun.~_

 


	10. Various Arrivals

 

Takeshi waved goodbye to his fellow teammates before packing up his bag and heading out the door himself. It had been a good practice and he had even gotten several homeruns in at the end.

He slowed when he caught sight of a familiar figure in the distance, holding a clipboard and watching the Boxing Club swim laps in the pool. He wavered for a second before changing direction and heading for Harry.

Takeshi didn't immediately draw the man's attention, staying back to observe the training instead. A faint frown of concentration creased Harry's brow and each club member was being studied with sharp eyes. From what Takeshi could glimpse of the clipboard, Harry was writing down their times, as well as... were those muscle strength measurements?

"Something I can help you with, Yamamoto-kun?"

Takeshi started, glancing up sheepishly to meet a pair of green eyes looking in his direction. He ducked into the pool area to join Harry as the boxers – swimmers? – started another lap. Harry seemed to have given orders to pace themselves; Ryohei, who was clearly the strongest of them all and could probably outpace most of the others, was only pulling ahead a little.

"I didn't know boxers had to swim," He commented as his gaze strayed to the clipboard again. Neat numbers were meticulously scribbled in beside eight different names.

"Cardiovascular training," Harry explained. "Ryohei-kun is the only one who has good stamina. The others are a bit below average for a boxing team."

Takeshi squinted at the numbers. "I didn't know you knew boxing."

Harry chuckled softly, raking a hand through his hair distractedly. "I don't, but I did a lot of research last week. I can't be manager if I'm clueless about the sport. And a training regimen for boxing isn't completely different from the other types of martial arts that I do know."

"Like what?" Takeshi asked curiously.

"Hmm, karate, aikido – my size and build suits that, kung fu, a few others from various countries. I know a bit of archery and fencing, if that counts, and I picked up kendo over the years."

"You know kendo?" Takeshi perked up.

Harry inclined his head. "Some. I prefer smaller weapons or simply hand-to-hand though."

He paused and blew his whistle when Ryohei slapped a hand against the edge of the pool and the others were racing in from behind. "That's enough! Out of the pool, shower, change, meet back in the gym in fifteen!"

There were a chorus of affirmations as the students began hauling themselves out of the water and heading for the changing room, a few of them stumbling slightly as their legs wobbled.

Takeshi watched the older man exchange a few words with Ryohei, who, for the first time since Takeshi had met him, looked dead serious, but not in a bad way. His senpai listened as Harry talked and pointed out a few things on his clipboard, before gesturing at a few of his teammates and seemingly giving his own opinion.

Takeshi sighed in a rare moment of frustration. He liked Harry a lot – the man was nice and fun to be with and he always took the time to listen to Takeshi about baseball or anything else he wanted to talk about – but there was one small problem; Takeshi didn't trust Harry.

Or perhaps 'didn't trust' wasn't quite right, but a part of him was... wary of the man, and the worst part was that he didn't even know why, not exactly.

Maybe it was because Harry reminded him a lot of himself, almost always smiling, never letting anything bother him, except Harry had raised the latter to an art form. Even Takeshi couldn't always let things go and remain calm and composed in the face of, well,  _everything_.

And that unsettled him because Takeshi didn't always smile because he felt like it and he knew better than anyone that he hid things from the world with his easygoing laughter. As far as Takeshi could tell though, Harry's smiles could vary. Most of the time, they were cheerful and seemingly genuine, but it was the darker edge that occasionally touched the expression that made Takeshi tense.

He respected Harry and honestly enjoyed spending time with the man, but he also knew, instinctively, that Harry was here for more than just tutoring and training and hanging out with them. And Takeshi had yet to decide if that was a good or bad thing. He supposed it depended on what Harry was here to do.

Contrary to popular belief, Takeshi wasn't completely clueless. There were only so many times he could dodge bullets and fight bad guys before he realized that the 'mafia game' wasn't just a game. But Tsuna always seemed a little less stressed if Takeshi was there to provide comic relief so he continued pretending, if only to draw out more laughter from his best friend.

Takeshi had always trusted his gut instinct though, so when it set off alarm bells in his head when Harry came into the picture, he didn't ignore it. He knew the man would probably never hurt them – he just wasn't the type to hurt children or innocents – and earning the approval of one Hibari Kyouya – who respected very, very few and liked even less but seemed to feel both towards Harry – was no small feat, but Takeshi still couldn't shake off the uncomfortable feeling he still felt at times. It made him feel guilty on occasion. Harry was almost scarily proficient at reading the people around him; Takeshi was fairly certain the Brit already knew of his suspicions, but the man had never shown it, never held it against him.

"Yamamoto-kun, are you coming or are you going home now?"

Takeshi's head shot up. He really had to stop zoning out. "Uh, I'll come with you if you don't mind."

Harry motioned him to his side before setting off towards the gym. "I don't mind. How was your baseball practice?"

Takeshi couldn't help grinning brightly at the question. "It went great today! I hit three homeruns at the end."

Harry smiled. "Well, you have been practicing quite hard. You must be in top form these days."

They went through a bout of small talk for a few minutes longer before Takeshi picked up the slightest shadow of strain in Harry's features. He would've missed it if he wasn't so good at reading expressions. Not as good as Harry or Reborn but better than most.

"Is something wrong, Harry?" Takeshi enquired when they finally reached the gym.

Harry paused just inside the doorway and glanced down at him, green eyes probing. This was perhaps the most disconcerting thing about the man to Takeshi. For all that Harry smiled and laughed and showed his facial expressions freely, his eyes were always shuttered, always guarded. No one could ever tell anything from the man's eyes unless Harry wanted you to see.

"You're highly intuitive, Yamamoto-kun," Harry remarked, momentarily ignoring his question.

Takeshi scratched his head and laughed a little. "Thanks, I guess."

Harry didn't smile this time, just looked at him with unreadable eyes, before finally turning away to set his clipboard and bag on a bench at the side of the gym.

Just when Takeshi was considering the pros and cons of saying a quick goodbye and scooting out the door to break the awkward silence, Harry spoke again, turning back to him with a somber expression. "Be careful, Yamamoto-kun. Knowing that it isn't a game and understanding that it isn't a game are two different things. You already know, but you don't quite understand. Yet."

The words were oddly ominous even though Harry didn't make any specific mentions of Tsuna and the mafia. By the time the Boxing Club had arrived at the gym and Takeshi had been waved out with a genial smile and a see-you-later, he still couldn't make up his mind about Harry and now he had something even more important than trust issues to think about.

 

* * *

 

_Hermione had been petrified but Hatori managed to spot the piece of paper clenched in her hand while he and Ron were visiting her._

_A basilisk. A bloody basilisk was in the school petrifying students, and a student, Ginny, Ron's sister, had been dragged into the Chamber itself._

_A niggling voice at the back of Hatori's mind thought it all rather odd. Basilisks were rare but not unheard of. Surely Dumbledore could have figured it out after seeing the symptoms?_

_But that wasn't important at the moment; Hatori had bigger problems to deal with. Putting the clues together and finding the chamber wasn't too difficult but what were they going to do if they met the basilisk?_

 

* * *

 

"U- Um," Tsuna cringed as he was met by a baleful glare but forged on anyway. "W- Would you two like to e- eat lunch with us?"

Ken all but snarled at him. "Why would we want to eat with you?!"

Gokudera jumped in half a second later. "Don't talk that way to Jyuudaime!" The bomber snapped as Tsuna hovered anxiously on the side. "You should be honoured Jyuudaime offered in the first place!"

Tsuna sighed as the two descended into loud bickering. Harry had enrolled Ken and Chikusa into Namimori yesterday and both had been placed in their class. While Chikusa was mostly silent and finished his class work without objection, Ken couldn't be bothered to pay attention and had already gotten into five different arguments with three different teachers.

"Hey, Tsuna."

Tsuna turned and blinked up at Yamamoto, who, for once, wasn't laughing at Gokudera's antics. Instead, he looked a little nervous behind his usual smile. "Yamamoto, is something wrong?"

Yamamoto shrugged and shook his head. "No, not really. About the mafia game..."

Tsuna sweatdropped. Sometimes, he wished Yamamoto would stop thinking it to be all a game, but it was nice to have someone relatively normal beside him who wasn't completely crazy about the mafia.

"You take it pretty seriously, don't you?" Yamamoto continued.

Tsuna rubbed the back of his head. It wasn't as if he had a choice, or at least not much of one. "I have to. I want to protect my friends after all."

When Yamamoto didn't respond right away and only carried on staring intently at him, Tsuna squirmed under the baseball player's gaze. "Y- Yamamoto? Did something happen?"

A heartbeat later, Yamamoto was all smiles again. "Nah, sorry about that. It's just something Harry said to me; got me thinking." He paused for a moment before enquiring casually, "What do you think of him anyway? Do you trust him?"

Tsuna frowned in puzzlement. "Um, I think Harry-san's really nice. He's always patient with us and he's a good tutor. And yeah, I trust him. Why?"

Yamamoto shook his head. "No reason really. I just wanted to know what you thought of him. I mean, sometimes, to me, he just... feels a bit off."

Tsuna tilted his head, studying the taller boy. A flash of heat flickered in his chest, gone so quickly that he didn't think much of it at all.

"Harry-san has his own secrets, Yamamoto, just like everyone else." For half a second, Tsuna almost didn't recognize his own voice, calm and firm. "But I trust him."

Yamamoto looked taken aback for a moment and Tsuna flushed, stammering, "U- Uh, I mean, that is-"

"I get it," Yamamoto interjected, and this time, his smile was far more genuine and relaxed. "Maa, if Tsuna says so, then Harry must be alright."

Tsuna hesitated before asking tentatively, "Do you not trust Harry-san?"

Yamamoto waved a hand dismissively. "If you trust him that much, then I do too. I mean, I wanted to, before, but I wasn't sure. Harry's a nice guy after all. I just didn't make up my mind about him until just now."

Tsuna frowned but said nothing more when a teacher came over to try to break up the fight brewing between Gokudera and Ken. Yamamoto was laughing again and Tsuna couldn't detect anything amiss in the light sound so he decided not to intrude. Whatever remaining issues Yamamoto had with Harry had to be solved between the two of them. Tsuna didn't think butting in would do any good.

 

* * *

 

_The basilisk had been terrifying to face and Hatori had even been bitten. But Fawkes had been there, thankfully, and Hatori had regained enough strength to stab the diary and kill Tom Riddle's memory before the future Dark Lord could take form._

_Later on, during the train ride back, Hatori couldn't help wondering why Dumbledore himself didn't take care of the basilisk if the Headmaster's own familiar could flame down to the chamber._

 

* * *

 

"You're sure about this?"

"Mm."

Reborn eyed the relaxed figure in front of him from beneath his fedora before heaving a sigh. "I'm probably going to regret asking but how are you communicating with Rokudo Mukuro exactly?"

Harry wiggled the fingers of one hand. "Magic."

Reborn couldn't decide whether he wanted to strangle the man or shoot him more. "I'm serious."

Harry smiled. "So am I."

Reborn's eyebrow twitched but he managed to squash the frustration inside him back down. "Fine.  _Why_  are you telling me this then? Don't you usually stay out of mafia business?"

Harry tilted his head. "One of Tsuna's Guardians will be Chrome and she is under my care right now. Gokudera-kun is also, unofficially, my student. I take childcare very seriously. I won't let either of them walk into battle unprepared, even if their opponents will be a bunch of upstart brats."

Reborn had to work to keep the amused smirk off his face. He'd pay good money to watch Harry accuse Xanxus of being an 'upstart brat' to his face.

At the moment though, he had to concentrate on the matter at hand. "I already know Iemitsu will be coming to Namimori but he was vague about the rings."

He paused. He was tempted to ask again if Harry was absolutely sure Mukuro was telling the truth but it was plain disrespectful to both of them if he did, not to mention a waste of breath. Harry wasn't one to bring up information that he  _wasn't_  sure of; the man was always certain in his words and actions, so even asking the first time had made Reborn wince internally.

"It would be best to warn Tsuna and the others," He commented instead. "Though they'll have to polish up their acting skills if they don't want the enemy noticing."

Harry's smile turned wry and Reborn couldn't hold back an answering snort of exasperation this time. Tsuna would be tense and shaking while Gokudera would be alert and hovering around his boss like an overprotective guard dog. Ryohei would be looking wildly for the enemy as well so Yamamoto would probably be the only one who acted remotely normal.

"Gokudera-kun is better at keeping a lid on his temper nowadays," Harry offered, leaning back and crossing his legs. "I don't think Chrome is quite ready to join the boys on a day out yet and Ken and Chikusa won't want to."

"Still, we'll have to at least warn them all," Reborn decided. "I can keep Tsuna from completely losing it but we'll have to gamble on the enemy being too occupied with whoever is bringing the fake rings."

Harry hummed thoughtfully. "Perhaps... no, I think the kids should handle this one alone," He murmured almost to himself, and then focused on Reborn again. "It would be beneficial for them to face a member of the Varia. They'll be able to see just how much they'll have to improve before they can match real Mafioso."

Reborn contemplated that for a minute. He agreed of course; Tsuna wasn't even near the level of Xanxus yet and an impromptu scuffle with a Varia elite would certainly get them motivated.

"Fine," Reborn nodded. "Should I tell them all or do you want to take half?"

Belatedly, he was struck with the strange notion that he was talking to Harry as an equal, splitting his own tutoring job with the man and hadn't even thought to question himself on his actions.

Harry shrugged. "It would probably be best if you told them all at once; let the kids sort it out together, but I'll instruct Gokudera-kun on how to act. Hibari-kun will do as he pleases though, and Tsuna doesn't quite have enough strength and confidence to tell him otherwise, not yet at least, so I suggest wrapping it up before Hibari-kun arrives."

Reborn nodded again. "Alright, we'll skip the history lesson today then," He wavered for a heartbeat before carefully extending an invitation. "Do you want to stay while I brief them?"

Harry smiled one last time and rose to his feet. "No need. Just please tell Gokudera-kun to come home when he's finished here and I'll help him tone his attacks down a bit. He's still too flashy at the moment."

"Fine," Reborn approved, hopping off the couch he had been sitting on. "Have a talk with Ryohei as well. He's calmer around you."

Harry ran a hand through his hair as he wandered towards the front door. "Is he? Well, sure. I'll talk to him tomorrow after practice. See you later."

Reborn watched him go until the door swung shut behind the Brit. Then he headed upstairs to Tsuna's room, taking his usual perch on the windowsill.

What an odd man. For all that Reborn didn't trust him, Harry possessed a charisma that even he was drawn to. He couldn't help shuddering at the thought of an ambitious Harry Potter; if the Brit wanted to, he could probably gather his own men and start his own Famiglia, one that wouldn't be anything to scoff at.

For now though, Harry seemed to be on their side, or at least he was willing to help them, and that was all Reborn cared about. No one, not even Tsuna, had enough to offer for the man to stay permanently at the moment.

 

* * *

 

"We won't be doing physical training today," His tutor announced as Hayato crashed through the front door.

He had rushed home as quickly as possible as soon as Reborn had dismissed them. If an enemy, and a real Mafioso to boot, was coming to Namimori, Hayato had to think up a plan, not just randomly wander into the path of said enemy when the time came and hope for the best. It was his job as Right-Hand to make sure his boss, and by extension the rest of the Family, came out of this without a scratch. Harry was sure to be able to make sure the plan he already had a rough idea of would become foolproof.

Five minutes later, they were both seated at the dining table with a map of Namimori spread out in front of them.

"Most likely," Harry was saying. "Whoever has the rings will try to get it to Tsuna as soon as possible so that they would be safe." He traced a course across the map with a red marker. "This is the quickest route between the airport and Tsuna's house. Your best bet to bump into them before they actually get there is pretty much anywhere along here."

Hayato frowned. "Wouldn't it be more logical for the ring guy to lead the enemy away from Jyuudaime?"

"They've been chased all the way from Italy," Harry explained patiently. "We can assume they're all but dead on their feet so they'll be trying to get the rings to safety – meaning to Tsuna, whom the rings are supposed to go to anyway. And you're thinking too much like... well, yourself. You can't expect the person carrying the rings to place Tsuna as their top priority."

Hayato scowled at that but it was true. Whoever was carrying the rings would be Vongola but they would want to ensure the rings' safety first, not Jyuudaime's, who would be expected to defend the rings himself.

"You guys can't let the enemy reach the house though," Harry continued. "There are too many civilians inside and houses all around. In that case, where would be the best location for a confrontation?"

Hayato searched the map thoroughly, following the red line as he pulled up images of each site in his mind.

"Here?" He finally pointed out hesitantly.

Harry arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

Hayato straightened unconsciously. "It's an open area, so we'll have more room to manoeuvre. The buildings around the square are tall enough to prevent ambushes so we'll see them coming. The only way the enemy would be able to get past us and get the rings would be this main road here, which we would defend. The alleyways are all dead-ends. We could put up a fight, and then let them take the rings before the Bronco gets here."

Harry tilted his head. "And the fact that it's smack in the middle of Namimori's shopping centre?"

Hayato already had an answer for that. "No Mafioso in their right mind would kill civilians in broad daylight in a public place. There would be too much backlash. The time window that both of them will arrive in is in the afternoon on a Sunday; everyone and their grandma will be shopping at that time. The enemy will have to be careful. I've also checked the weather though. It's going to be sunny that day so the square will be pretty busy. However, the civilians will automatically clear out when things start getting dangerous and the enemy's first priority will be getting those rings. Assuming that whoever's carrying said rings will be able to make it to us in time, we'll be confronting someone who will be restricted in their movements, which will be an advantage for us."

Hayato finished, almost holding his breath as he waited anxiously for his mentor's verdict. He sighed in relief when Harry smiled and a glint of approval shone in his eyes.

"Not bad," Harry complimented. "A few rough edges to smooth out, like how you'll protect the civilians who freeze or won't be able to get out of the way in time, but it's a good plan overall. As it is, I've already checked the area. There will be a sale one street over starting at three in the afternoon which will draw most of the crowd there, leaving fewer people but just enough to not hamper your movements as well."

Hayato nodded, making a mental note to research the backgrounds of his plans next time.

"Do remember to hold back, Gokudera-kun," Harry said, and there was a note of sobriety in his voice now. "But make it look natural. I'm not certain as to how strong the Varia's upper echelon is, but either way, you need to be careful. Assume the worst; do not take them lightly, but you can't let them know you're holding back either. Xanxus will know that the rings are fakes sooner or later, and when he does, he'll come looking for a fight. Most people hold back when facing children, even if only subconsciously. If they know you're stronger than you portray, they will adjust to that fact and retaliate accordingly. I've been training you for months now. I wouldn't be surprised if you could match at least one of the Varia elite in terms of strength, but the others aren't quite at that level yet. It's always best to overestimate your enemies and be underestimated in return, understand?"

Hayato nodded again solemnly, a glow of pride in his chest at the praise within the advice. But he knew it was better to hide his skills until they were necessary than go out guns blazing, so to speak.

"Alright then, change and go for a run," Harry instructed, rising to his feet. "Ten laps around the park and we'll call it a day. We'll have a spar on Saturday; you'll practice holding back without seeming to until then. I'll be testing you."

Hayato leapt up. "Got it, Shishou. Should I scout out the place of battle before Sunday?"

Harry raised an eyebrow again and Hayato flushed. Right, stupid question.

With a wave, he hurried to his room to change into his training clothes. Even though he had a plan now, he still had a lot of preparation to do before Sunday.

 

* * *

 

"Harry-san?"

Harry straightened from where he had been checking the fridge, making a note of the things he was planning to get Shamal to buy. He didn't feel like doing the grocery shopping this week.

"Yes, Chrome?" He turned to take in his charge and the three girls who had been coming regularly since last week.

Ryohei had been as good as his word and had brought his sister and her friends over after school last Friday. Ever since then, the three girls had taken to Chrome with genuine enthusiasm.

Kurokawa Hana was outspoken and blunt, but she had a good heart and Harry thought her forceful nature would be good for Chrome's shy demeanour. Kyoko on the other hand was cheerful and kind while Miura Haru was energetic and friendly. Not even Chrome had been able to stay in the shadows with their combined efforts.

"Um, I was wondering if I could go out for a little while," Chrome shifted nervously on the spot. "Just to the mall for- for some shopping."

It was the first time Chrome had wanted to go out on her own volition and Harry flicked another glance at the three girls behind her.

Kyoko and Haru had taken to him quite well once they had learned that he was Tsuna's tutor and they had also seen him interacting with Chrome. Haru, in fact, always went around with a blush on her face whenever she was in his presence, and Harry had seen enough in his life to recognize a crush when he saw one. Hana, while still slightly wary around him, was polite enough and they were relaxed enough with him to take his invitation to come over to the apartment anytime seriously.

"Sure," He agreed easily. "But..."

He quickly jotted down milk before extending both the shopping list and some money towards the girl. "Pick up a few things for me after you finish girl-shopping? I'm a bit busy for the rest of today and Shamal's a lazy bum so I need someone else to do the groceries this week."

Chrome quickly nodded, tucking both items away. "I don't mind; I'll get them."

Harry smiled before remembering something else. "And this," He withdrew a wad of cash and thrust it into her hands. "Pocket money. Go spoil yourself."

Before Chrome could protest, Harry ushered her out of the kitchen along with the others.

"You get pocket money every two weeks," Harry told her cheerily as he all but shoved them out the door. "I'm your guardian now, remember? It's part of my job. Now go have fun. If you're going to catch dinner first, be back by nine at the latest."

He closed the door behind them without further ado and wandered back inside. Chrome was making friends, he didn't have to do the shopping this week or hunt down Shamal so  _he_ could do it, and Tsuna and the others were relatively prepared for tomorrow's confrontation. Now all he had to do was set up some hidden cameras so he could watch the showdown tomorrow. Come to think of it, maybe Reborn could do that bit for him. Merlin knew the baby had more than enough secret hideouts throughout town. A few cameras wouldn't be too hard.

 

* * *

 

"You're guardian's really nice," Kyoko remarked as they set off towards the shopping mall. "Not just because of the money either."

Chrome nodded mutely but a soft smile lit her features. Beside her, Haru flushed pink while Hana scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Haru thinks he's very handsome," The brunette admitted, turning even redder.

Hana sighed, shaking her head. "What is the world coming to? A hot guy comes along and you're suddenly making gaga eyes at him."

"Haru is not!" Haru protested indignantly before breaking out into a sheepish grin. "Well maybe I am, just a little. What do you think, Chrome-chan? His eyes are to die for, aren't they?"

Chrome squeaked a little, her hands fluttering. "I- I don't know; I haven't thought about it."

Kyoko giggled as Haru smiled dreamily. She had to admit, Harry was very good-looking, and it didn't hurt that he treated them like they had been going over to the apartment since forever. He was good at making them feel welcome.

Hana snorted. "Well, I suppose he's alright. About a million times better than that pervert of a doctor at least. How they can be business partners is beyond me. They're complete opposites."

Kyoko and Haru both laughed at that and even Chrome managed another small smile. The doctor had stopped his perverted ways with the female population in Namimori Middle and most of the school knew it but his less-than-glowing reputation had, unfortunately, cemented.

"Nii-chan likes him too," Kyoko volunteered. "He says Harry-san always goes to practice early and the training regimen is hard enough to push them but not too hard."

"Yeah, he's a saint," Hana grumbled, casting an amused eye at Haru. "Still no excuse for the googly eyes."

Haru scowled good-naturedly. "He's a nice, friendly, older guy with gorgeous green eyes and hair that always looks like he's just gotten off a motorcycle. You can't tell me you don't think he's attractive. At least a little."

Hana crossed her arms, blatantly unperturbed as she admitted, "I already said he's a hot guy; doesn't mean my face looks like a sunset every time I catch sight of him."

Haru blushed again and Kyoko joined in when Hana started laughing. She made sure to exchange an amused look with Chrome as well to make sure the shy girl wasn't feeling left out.

Kyoko didn't need to be a telepath to realize that Harry's 'condition' in exchange for becoming her brother's team manager was just an attempt to get Chrome to interact with other girls her age, and after discovering how painfully reticent Chrome was, Kyoko had done just that. Haru had taken to Chrome with her usual brand of enthusiasm and even Hana seemed to have a soft spot for her.

And even though it had never been mentioned, Kyoko was fairly certain Harry was counting on them to coax Chrome to school. They would start with the mall for now though. School would only be a matter of time.

 

* * *

 

The computers were set up on the coffee table and even Ken and Chikusa had joined them as they watched Tsuna and his friends meander into the designated square. Bianchi and Shamal were seated on one side while Chrome was curled up in an armchair at the end with her two part-time bodyguards on the other side.

In contrast, Harry was perched on the arm of one of the couches, one leg propped up while the other dangled languidly off the edge. He was close enough to see the screens but his focus was on the world outside the nearby window instead.

"They've arrived," Harry spoke up abruptly and Shamal leaned towards the screens. Harry was never wrong about this sort of thing.

It only took about twenty minutes before two figures showed up, darting through the shopping district and heading to Tsuna's location at top speed.

"That's Basil, I think," Shamal identified, squinting closely at the screens as the fight began. "Part of Vongola's CEDEF team. I've seen him once or twice when I had dealings with the Vongola. The brat's Iemitsu's apprentice."

He glanced up quickly enough to catch the distaste passing over Harry's face and made a mental note to be at the Sawada household when Vongola's CEDEF leader inevitably met his partner. It was bound to be either explosive or filled with fake smiles and veiled insults.

"And the one chasing him is Superbi Squalo," Bianchi announced. "Also known as the Sword Emperor, and Xanxus' second-in-command and Rain Guardian. Possibly the strongest in the Varia after Xanxus himself."

They watched it pan out, with Tsuna, the sword boy, and the boxer holding the long-haired swordsman off while Hayato carefully threw his bombs around Squalo.

"You've trained him well," Shamal murmured. "His skill is much sharper."

"Yes, it is."

Shamal looked up, startled at the terse tone of voice that had answered him. Harry was frowning, his lips tight as he watched the battle.

"You're not happy about this?" He asked cautiously.

Harry glanced swiftly at him. "The fact that he's improved in leaps and bounds since I started teaching him? I'm ecstatic. The fact that you just pointed out exactly that within two minutes? Not so much, no."

It took half a second for him to realize before Shamal slapped himself on the forehead and muttered a curse. He was used to having the other kids around who really couldn't tell when Hayato was holding back. Harry had helped the bomber tone it down so much that, by the looks of it, even Bianchi couldn't tell her brother was going easy on the explosives.

But Squalo was a different matter. The man was a professional assassin, just like him. If Shamal could see it, the swordsman would be able to catch on as well, even without the advantage of knowing Hayato like Shamal did.

"It's too late to do anything about it now," Harry sighed. "This is my mistake; I should have started lessons on subtlety ages ago."

Shamal snorted. "Don't be an idiot. Hayato has potential, no doubt about that, but he's not assassin material. Subtlety's not his way. You can tell just by listening to him shout 'Jyuudaime' at the top of his lungs every other day."

Harry made a noncommittal noise at the back of his throat but didn't disagree.

"He's noticed," Chikusa spoke up suddenly, eyes narrowing behind his glasses.

"Yes," Harry agreed as they all leaned in. "He's observant. Caught on faster than even I thought he would have."

Shamal eyed the narrowed gaze of the swordsman on the screen as Squalo turned his attention on Hayato. "Where the hell is the Chiavorone? Or Iemitsu for that matter?"

"This... Iemitsu probably has the real rings," Harry said mildly. "He's not going to be anywhere near that area right now. Probably took the long way around to get to Tsuna's house."

Shamal refrained from saying anything. In the few times he had exchanged words with Sawada Iemitsu, the man hadn't impressed him. Leaving his own apprentice who couldn't be older than fifteen at the most to fend for himself against a clearly stronger opponent wasn't doing much for the Mafioso's reputation in Shamal's eyes.

"He's got the rings. And there's the Bronco." Bianchi said as Squalo knocked Basil down and took off when he spotted Dino. She rose to her feet and grabbed her coat. "And ouch, that has got to hurt; I feel sorry for the poor kid. I'm heading over to Tsuna's house."

"You three might as well go too," Shamal said as he grabbed his own coat before looking over at the three teens. "This is the entire reason you're here, isn't it?"

The blond brat grumbled but headed for the door with his friend right behind him. Chrome tugged on her own jacket before heading for the door herself. Shamal glanced back at his partner who hadn't moved. "Harry?"

Harry was staring absently out the window, head propped in one hand, but he looked around when Shamal called. "You go ahead. I don't really need to be there."

Shamal paused, hearing more than seeing the others stop by the front door as well. "...Is something wrong?"

Harry turned to look at him fully. "I need to step up Ryohei-kun's training. Immediately."

Shamal frowned. "What-"

"And tell Reborn to do the same with Tsuna. Warn Yamamoto-kun as well."

Shamal didn't bother pulling on his coat. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Harry's mouth was a grim slash on his face. "Didn't you find anything strange about that last attack on Tsuna and the others?"

Shamal thought back to the fight. Squalo had come in at a different angle, attacking from the left at a speed too fast for the boxer and sword boy to react even though they had already positioned themselves in front of Tsuna. And then Hayato had been there, quicker than Shamal had expected, and his dynamite had been hurled with calculated accuracy, staving off the swordsman for a fraction of a second, just long enough for the other two teens to react. They had struck back with a speedy punch and a defensive slash that Squalo had only just been able to avoid but...

But stepping back and looking at the fight overall, Shamal could see the problem. In their point of view, at least at first, Hayato had stepped in and saved the other three, but from Squalo's perspective, Hayato, along with Yamamoto and Sasagawa, had managed to pull off a rather powerful defense that had seemed completely coordinated, as if it had been planned all along, even though it had only been Hayato's cover that had pulled them so seamlessly together.

Dread pooled in his gut. The situation had just gotten a lot worse.

Because Squalo would no doubt go back and report this deceptive level of capability to Xanxus, and the Varia would respond with far more strength than they initially would have.

"Oh shit," Shamal muttered with a tired sigh.

"Exactly," Harry said pensively as the others watched them with wide eyes. "Send Gokudera-kun back home as soon as possible. If nothing else, he'll at least be able to pull a win in the ring battles, which is more than I can say for the other three at the moment."

Shamal couldn't argue this fact, no matter how harsh that reality was.

"I've done some research on the Varia members as well," Harry continued briskly. "If Reborn doesn't have it already, tell him I'll get the information to him tomorrow."

Shamal nodded curtly. "Reborn will probably assign different mentors for each of the kids. You'll take Hayato. I could lend a hand with him as well if it comes down to it. What about Chrome?"

Harry glanced at the silent girl standing by the door. "Well, Chrome? I'm afraid you're going to have to decide. Mukuro-kun will be able to help if you run into trouble during your match, but do you want training yourself? I can spend a few hours each day starting you on katas at the very least."

Chrome looked uncertain, wavering for a long moment before nodding timidly. "I- I'd like that, thank you."

Ken snorted and promptly got a smack over the head by Bianchi.

"I'll help out too," Bianchi told Chrome with a warm smile. "Us girls need to stick together."

"Alright, let's go then," Shamal ushered them out the door with a last backwards glance at his partner.

Harry had turned to stare out the window again, features chiseled and unreadable in the glow of the afternoon sun.

 

* * *

 

_~Don't be too hard on Chrome.~_

Harry took a gulp of coffee as he replied,  _~I won't. I'd like to think I'm not that bad a teacher.~_

A thrum of acknowledgement trickled down the line.  _~Well, I will give you that much, I suppose. Had you handed her to that Arcobaleno, I would have had to start planning revenge.~_

A moment of silence followed as Harry continued watching Chrome go through one of the more basic katas in aikido and sending the images to Mukuro through the link.

 _~Have you slept at all?~_  Was the next enquiry.

Harry stifled a sigh and latched on to the spark of amusement he felt at this question instead.  _~Why, Mukuro-kun, are you worried about me?~_

A scoff resounded in his mind.  _~Do not be absurd. I would merely be displeased if your attention wavered and you started teaching Chrome all the wrong things.~_

Harry chuckled.  _~No worries. If I push it, I can go two months without sleep and still take down most enemies blindfolded.~_

_~...Kufufufu, perhaps the most alarming aspect of you is the fact that not even I can tell whether or not you are serious when you say things like this.~_

_~And that's how I like to keep it,~_  Harry returned, and then glanced to his left.  _~I have company; I'll talk to you later.~_

"What can I help you with?" He called out aloud. "Reborn."

The hitman leapt out of a nearby tree and landed next to Harry's elbow, his fedora tilted up as the baby surveyed him.

"You haven't been by Tsuna's since Sunday," Reborn said at last.

"I thought we were postponing lessons this week?" Harry countered.

Reborn shook his head. "We have, but Tsuna is starting to wonder if you're angry at him."

Harry paused, honestly surprised. Now that he hadn't expected. "Why would I be angry at him?"

Reborn snorted. "The idiot thinks the failed play on Sunday was his fault."

Harry's eyebrows shot up. "Surely you told him it wasn't?"

"I did," Reborn said almost sullenly. "But he won't let it go and it's affecting his training. It's been four days; surely you can take some time to stop by? Shooting him doesn't have any effect when it comes to this matter. Maybe your softer touch will do some good."

"Why doesn't he come over here?" Harry countered, ignoring the question.

Reborn made a slightly disgusted sound. "Iemitsu found out about you. Or nothing  _on_  you anyway. He doesn't have any information regarding who you are, etcetera, and, for a lack of better words, he hates it. It doesn't sit well with him and he's been trying to find out where you live. Gokudera flat-out refused to tell him – in as respectful a way as possible of course – and the others followed his example. Both Bianchi and Shamal have been avoiding the house like the plague and even Mamma is pretending she doesn't know. Iemitsu hasn't thought to ask the younger kids yet."

Harry stayed silent. Hmm, so Gokudera had caught on, or maybe Shamal had given them the heads-up. Then again, Harry hadn't exactly made it a huge secret that Sawada Iemitsu was not someone he was particularly keen to meet.

"So it's true," Reborn was observing him closely now. "You don't want to meet Iemitsu."

Harry shrugged, taking another sip of coffee. "I am in no hurry to introduce myself, no. I have a rather distinct suspicion that I won't like him and he won't like me. But if Tsuna isn't concentrating on his training, then I suppose it's time to suck it up and play nice. I will meet him eventually anyway."

Reborn smirked. "I don't think I've ever seen you outright dislike someone."

"Yes, it's a somewhat annoying feeling," Harry agreed. "I try to avoid it as much as possible, but people like Iemitsu automatically rub me the wrong way, for all that I tend to keep an open mind when it comes to meeting other people."

"'People like Iemitsu'?" Reborn repeated, visibly entertained. "You haven't even met him."

"There is rarely a good excuse for someone to neglect their family," Harry said, and Reborn stiffened at the suddenly dark, ancient gaze focused on him. "And I despise people who lie and try to justify doing exactly that when it is clear that it's all absolute crap."

A stilted silence ensued but Harry broke it soon enough, polishing off his coffee before rising to his feet. "I'm going to finish up with Chrome first and Chikusa has some questions about his history homework, but I'll swing by after that."

Reborn nodded and turned away. "Shamal will come as well, I suppose? I'll tell Mamma we'll have two more for dinner then."

 

* * *

 

Tsuna had been bullied for most of his childhood. His teachers had sighed in despair over him and his classmates had laughed at him for his incomplete homework and abysmal athleticism.

But he didn't think he had  _ever_  been as resentful and embarrassed and ashamed as he was right now.

 _Ever_.

Harry usually came over to his house at least every other day, maybe even stopping by daily, and Tsuna pretty much saw him everyday either at school or at the apartment. The very  _first_  time Harry came over to his house after four days of absence, and Tsuna could feel the mortification burning red in his face.

His history tutor was currently standing in the doorway, a politely blank expression on his face as Tsuna's own  _father_  sprawled on the living room floor in his boxers with empty bottles scattered around him and another beer in his hand.

God, this was humiliating.

He glanced fleetingly at his mother who was standing just inside the kitchen on her way to welcome Harry but had stopped when she remembered where her husband was currently sitting. Even she had a slight flush on her face.

He looked at Reborn, who was no help at all and was watching Harry with a glint in his eyes, and then at Shamal, who had come in with Harry and was doing his best not to even catch a glimpse of the blond on the floor, and then even at Dino, who had stopped by earlier when he had heard that Harry was stopping by. At the back of his mind, Tsuna hoped those two would get along. Even though they had never met, Tsuna secretly considered both Dino and Harry as his surrogate older brothers.

It was odd that Tsuna wanted Harry's approval most when the Brit was the only one Tsuna had ever met who didn't make a habit of judging other people.

Thankfully, Dino, friendly as ever, was the first to break the awkward hush and introduce himself, stepping past Iemitsu who seemed to have just noticed their houseguests.

"Hi, I'm Dino," The Chiavarone boss said cheerfully, extending a hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Harry," Tsuna's history tutor's blank features smoothed out into something more genuine and amiable as they shook hands. "The pleasure is all mine. Tsuna's told me all about his big brother."

Tsuna blushed again as Dino shot him a surprised but pleased look.

"Has he?" Dino grinned, and Tsuna was relieved to find the air between the two of them free of tension. It looked like they would get along fairly well. "I haven't been able to stop by since my last visit and you came afterwards so I haven't heard much about you, but Kyouya's mentioned you in passing."

"Oh?" Harry's expression brightened. "He's not one to talk much. You must have impressed him, though he's always so grumpy about it. All prickly-"

"-like a baby hedgehog," Dino finished, and the two shared a laugh. Tsuna sweatdropped. Nevermind fairly well; they were going to get on famously if they both liked teasing Hibari of all people.

"So this is the one teaching you history, Tsuna!"

Tsuna mentally pulled up an imaginary wall and inwardly banged his head against it. Outwardly, he smiled nervously and tried to pretend his dad wasn't half-drunk, mostly-naked, and one hundred percent embarrassing as he introduced him.

"Um, Harry-san, this is my dad, Sawada Iemitsu," He said anxiously, gratified to see the civil smile on his tutor's face. At least Harry was making an effort. "Otou-san, this is Potter Harry, my history tutor."

Tension skyrocketed as Tsuna's father rose to his feet, sticking out a hand as he grinned goofily at Harry. "Nice to meet you! Thanks for teaching my son so well. He has a very high opinion of you."

Harry's smile widened as he took the hand offered to him. "No problem at all. Just doing my job."

To Tsuna, it was rather like his father was trying to break Harry's hand than anything else, but either Iemitsu wasn't doing a very good job of it or Harry's bones were simply stronger because it wasn't working, much to his profound relief. Harry didn't seem to be squeezing back either, retrieving his hand without rush and keeping a smile on his face all the while.

"Nana-san," Harry said next as he turned to the woman standing in the kitchen. "Sorry I haven't been able to stop by sooner. I've been pretty busy with the kids."

Tsuna's mother smiled, genuine happiness lighting her eyes as she greeted Harry and Shamal, who nodded back, still trying not to look at Tsuna's father. "I understand. School must be getting very busy this time of year. Tsu-kun has been busier than usual as well."

Tsuna released a subtle sigh of relief as his mother and Harry escaped into the kitchen, keeping up a conversation as they disappeared.

And then he rounded on his father, not even noticing how unusual the action was for him.

"Tou-san!" He couldn't help his hands curling into fists. "You weren't very polite!"

He frowned when his dad only laughed. "Ah, don't worry; it's what we men do when we first meet!"

Tsuna gritted his teeth. "Tou-san, Dino-san didn't try to break his hand."

The tension spiked again when everyone in the room seemed to realize that Tsuna was truly irritated.

"Oh come on, Tsuna," His father waved a dismissive hand. "It's all in good fun."

Tsuna huffed in frustration, not aware of the faint frown his father was directing at him for his uncharacteristic behaviour.

"Just put on some clothes," He said instead. "We have  _guests_."

"Tsuna,"

Tsuna turned towards the kitchen, grateful for a reprieve.

"Come help me set the table," Harry said, and Tsuna sped forward and away from the living room. "How has school been?"

"Not bad," Tsuna replied as they laid out the utensils. "Math is still hard and Ken got another detention for yelling at the teacher. He's as bad as Gokudera was when he first got here."

Harry chuckled and Tsuna felt himself relax. If anyone could carry them over dinner without batting an eye over his father's childish dislike, it was Harry.

"I miss our history lessons though," Tsuna added with a shy grin. "I can't wait until life returns to normal again. Or more normal than right now anyway."

Harry grinned right back. "Not looking forward to more chaos?"

Tsuna groaned good-naturedly. "No way, I just want a peaceful life!"

"Those who want peace most are the ones who have to fight for it most."

Tsuna glanced sidelong at the man. He thought there was almost a touch of sorrow in Harry's voice.

"So anyway," Harry forged on, no trace of distress anywhere in sight. "I hear you've been slacking off in your training."

"I have not been slacking off!" Tsuna yelped, and then scowled when Harry laughed. "What's Reborn been saying then?"

"He just told me you're feeling guilty for something ridiculous," Harry cast a knowing eye over him. "You shouldn't, you know. Taking on needless responsibility will only weigh you down."

Tsuna averted his eyes, hands coming to rest on the back of a chair. "I know, but-"

"Would you consider Sunday Gokudera-kun's fault?" Harry interrupted.

Tsuna stiffened. "Of course not!"

"How about any of the others?" Harry continued. "Yamamoto-kun or Ryohei-kun?"

"No!" Tsuna insisted. "They did the best they could! They didn't do anything wrong!"

"And you did the best you could," Harry finished in an adamant tone. "That's the only thing anyone can ask of a person. If your best effort falls short, then simply make sure to do better next time."

Tsuna stared wide-eyed at his tutor and finally nodded slowly. He could do that. He  _was_  doing that, wasn't he? Training to become better. If they couldn't trick the enemy into underestimating them, then they'd just have to become stronger.

A hand landed on his head and ruffled his hair.

"And you can't do that if you're distracted from your training sessions," Harry reminded him with a soft smile.

Tsuna allowed most of the worry accumulated from Sunday to seep away and nodded determinedly instead. "Yeah. I suppose I'm lucky Reborn hasn't shot me for real yet."

Harry's smile gained an edge of approval. "That's the spirit. Now go help your mother serve dinner."

Tsuna bounded away, his embarrassment from before momentarily forgotten. It was times like these that he hoped Harry would never leave.

 

* * *

 

The embarrassment from before? Yeah, it was back with a vengeance.

Dinner could've been described as something between horrible and awful, but at least Tsuna's mother, Harry, Shamal, and Dino had been able to keep up a relatively light conversation flowing. He supposed he should be thankful that the kids had all been bundled off to the apartment for the night where Gokudera and Bianchi had promised to take care of them. He didn't want the children seeing his father and picking up bad habits. God knew Tsuna himself would probably snap and, as abnormal as it sounded, kick his dad's ass if Lambo – young and more impressionable than others his age – wanted to try drinking like Iemitsu did.

But after dinner, when everyone sans Nana had retired to Iemitsu's study to discuss 'manly business' as his father put it, the atmosphere had descended to downright dreadful.

At the moment, Tsuna had tuned out his father's pep talk about the upcoming ring battles – honestly, Reborn did a much better job driving home the importance of the rings – and was spending his time coming up with various ways to do damage control when his father finally got around to Harry.

It didn't take long for that to happen.

"So what are you teaching Tsuna in these history lessons?"

Tsuna didn't know which was worse; the brainless everything-is-a-joke side of his father or this more serious seemingly out for blood side.

Harry, calmly sipping at his tea, responded coolly, "We've been through the entire Tokugawa shogunate. The school curriculum jumps back to the Heian period next so that is what we will be going through after these ring battles."

"So you're telling me you can't balance Tsuna's schoolwork with his extra activities?" Iemitsu challenged, and Tsuna was very careful to keep his breathing even like Reborn had taught him.

"Those 'extra activities' could mean life or death for Tsuna and his friends," Harry's voice was still steady and composed but his eyes looked like they had become chips of ice. "So I'm not willing to gamble his chances just for a few history lessons."

Tsuna's father glared. "He can handle it."

Harry leaned forward ever-so-slightly. The tiny cold smile he had been wearing all evening when faced with Iemitsu never faded from his face. "I'm not willing to chance it."

"You're saying my son is stupid?" Iemitsu snapped.

Harry wasn't the type to scoff when dealing with, for all intents and purposes, an adversary. Personally, Tsuna thought it just didn't fit the man's overall grace and composure in conversation so he wasn't surprised when Harry still didn't rise to his father's not-so-subtle bait.

"Oh, he's not the stupid one," Harry smiled chillingly. The 'you are' rang loud and clear in the study. Out of the corner of his eye, Tsuna caught Shamal hiding a smirk behind a passing hand.

Iemitsu turned just the slightest bit red, and if Tsuna hadn't been looking for it, the flush would've gone unnoticed.

The man abruptly sat back, apparently conceding this round. "What are your credentials?"

Harry poured himself another cup of tea as he answered. "I don't have any."

Iemitsu sneered and glanced at Reborn. "You hired someone with no qualifications? It's not like you to be so careless, Reborn."

For the first time that night, Reborn spoke up, voice unexpectedly sharp. "I am never careless, Iemitsu. Harry knows what he's talking about and he keeps the kids attentive and interested. That's all he needs and all I care about. A piece of paper is worthless if the teacher can't keep their students engaged."

Iemitsu opened his mouth, no doubt to attack Harry again, and Tsuna sprang to his feet, unable to sit quietly and take it anymore.

"Tou-san, I'm happy with Harry-san as my tutor!" He said defiantly, turning bright red when all eyes turned to him.

His father frowned at him. "Now Tsuna, be reasonable. I'm sure there are better teachers-"

"I haven't gotten anything less than a B- in history since he started teaching me, and that was just at the beginning!" Tsuna interrupted at an almost-shout. He couldn't understand why his dad was getting on Harry's case about this. "I'm getting straight A's now. Harry-san is a great teacher; I don't want anyone else!"

His chest was heaving with emotion when he finished, and Tsuna was sure the stunned look on his father's face was shared by just about everyone in the room. He had never blown up at anyone in his life.

A gentle touch against one clenched fist drew him out of his trapped frustration and he hastily looked down at Harry still sitting beside him. The man's eyes had thawed and they now looked as warm as they always did.

 _Calm_ , they told him, and Tsuna felt his shoulders relax. Right, he should probably calm down, but he hated how his father had been verbally assaulting Harry since the moment he had stepped through the door. It was... galling. A man whom Tsuna hadn't even spoken to over the phone for two and a half years had the nerve to tell someone who had been a steady, solid presence in Tsuna's life for over half a year now to get lost.

He sat back down, accepting the cup of tea Harry handed him with a sheepish nod.

"I am good at a wide variety of things," Harry spoke up once more, gaze now focused on Iemitsu. "Teaching history is one of them. And while you are Tsuna's father, you are not the one presiding over his education. Reborn is, and he's the one who hired me for the job. Unless he says otherwise, I will not be stopping the lessons."

Iemitsu's nose flared in anger. "You're a killer," He accused.

Harry's smile thinned again. "With the exception of Tsuna, so is everyone else in this room."

The temperature plummeted. Sometimes, even Tsuna forgot this was the mafia and most of the adults around him had... killed.

Even his father.

"I'm not completely sure what problem it is you have with me, but..." Green eyes seemed to sharpen as they drilled into Tsuna's father's narrowed brown, and for the first time that evening, Harry's smile morphed into that dark vicious smirk that always sent a chill up Tsuna's spine. "Jealously doesn't become you, Iemitsu. And you really have no one else to blame but yourself."

The cryptic words set off a chain reaction. Tsuna's father leapt to his feet, but at almost exactly the same time, Shamal was out of his seat as well, and three different mosquitoes were positioned at various places on the man's neck. Dino had half-risen from his seat and Tsuna himself had jumped up, hovering anxiously on the side.

The only two who hadn't reacted were Reborn, who was watching the entire situation with expressionless eyes, and Harry, who was still enjoying his tea, having made no move to get up at all.

"As much as it pains me to say this," Shamal began with a deceivingly casual air. "We're all on the same side. You should keep that in mind, Iemitsu."

An apprehensive silence followed, and then Iemitsu sat down again, his temper reigned in once more. The mosquitoes were withdrawn but Shamal didn't sit.

"Come on," Shamal's hand brushed Harry's shoulder as the doctor turned for the door. "We've been gone long enough. I'd be surprised if the kids haven't blown up the kitchen yet."

Harry smiled, genuine this time as he set down a now-empty teacup. "Agreed. Though I'm sure Bianchi has everything under control."

Shamal rolled his eyes as he threw on his coat. "She can't even control what she cooks. What makes you think seven kids – half of them teenagers and all of them brats – are going to be any easier?"

Harry chuckled but didn't reply as he reached out and ruffled Tsuna's hair in a familiar gesture. "I'll see you later, Tsuna. Concentrate on your training from now on, yeah?"

Tsuna nodded at once. "You'll come by again soon?"

Harry nodded. "Of course. At the very least, I'll be at the ring battles."

Tsuna breathed a sigh of relief. Harry wouldn't stay away because of his father then.

"Reborn," Harry sketched a lazy half-salute and Reborn returned it with a tilt of his fedora.

"It was nice meeting you, Dino," This time, Harry offered his hand first, and Tsuna was sure that was important etiquette when Dino rose fully and took it with a smile.

"Same. Maybe we could meet up and give Kyouya a real workout?"

Harry grinned. "I wouldn't mind, and he'd certainly be interested."

Tsuna had been focusing on the handshake and his intuition gave him a nudge which was the only reason he caught the piece of paper exchanging hands. He wondered if it was the apartment address.

Iemitsu was the last person Harry turned to, and, polite as ever, the Brit nodded serenely in farewell. Iemitsu did the same, but brusquely with features tight, and then both Harry and Shamal were gone.

"I'm going to bed then," Tsuna spoke up first, voice stiff. "Tou-san, I  _like_  Harry-san. He's a great person and he gives good advice. He took in Gokudera-kun when he first got the apartment, and he took in Chrome and the others when they had nowhere else to go. It's not fair of you to- to  _attack_  him like that!"

"Tsuna, that's not enough of a reason to let him close," His father lectured sternly. "You don't know anything about him."

For the second time that night, Tsuna's temper flared. He didn't particularly care if other people insulted him or bullied him but when it came to the people he cared about, well, he had long since promised himself he wouldn't just stand by and let his friends get hurt, physically or emotionally. He wouldn't let anyone badmouth them.

"I don't know anything about you either," Tsuna said in as scathing a tone as he could manage. "If I hadn't been chosen as the Vongola heir, would you ever have told me about your real life? The life that's obviously more important to you than either me or okaa-san?"

He didn't wait for an answer, spinning around and stomping out of the room. He threw himself onto his bed and curled up under the blankets. He had never needed a father, not really, but he wasn't so clueless as to not hear his mother crying on some nights, especially on birthdays and anniversaries and Christmases when his dad couldn't make it home. He didn't mind having the man in the house but he was more than a little bothered by the fact that his father thought he could just waltz back into their lives and start dictating who could or couldn't be part of it.

Tsuna though back to the few times Iemitsu had come home. Back then, before Reborn had come, Tsuna usually stayed out of his father's way and his mother usually greeted him exuberantly without a care in the world. He supposed that was the reason his dad didn't seem to think there was a problem with being the head of the family every time he returned. The idiotic man probably thought time stopped for him every time he was away and only started again when he came back.

But it was different now. Tsuna was different. Even half a year ago, he would never have stood up against his father like that, and now that it was over, thinking back, a part of him couldn't believe the words that had come out of his mouth in the study, was horrified he could speak so rudely – if candidly – to his own father.

Another part of him, a much larger part, was vindictively glad. He wondered if that made him a bad person, especially since he didn't regret a single syllable he had uttered.

 

* * *

 

"Who does he think he is?!" Iemitsu ranted furiously. "Coming into my home and turning my son against me!"

Reborn scoffed and Iemitsu rounded on him with a glare that had no effect whatsoever.

"Harry didn't do anything," The hitman told him indifferently. "At least not all by himself anyway. It's called 'Tsuna growing a backbone'. I'd like to think I had a hand in that too, thanks."

Iemitsu huffed and crossed his arms. "Tsuna was fine the way he was! Cute and stuttering and-"

"-completely useless," Reborn interjected, eyeing Iemitsu coldly. "What good is that to a mafia boss?"

Iemitsu waved a hand. That didn't really matter. "You're supposed to train him, polish his skills up, but he's my cute little son. I don't want you to take that away. He needs his compassion."

"He has more than enough compassion," Reborn retorted. "That's not going to go away because he now has enough guts to tell you off."

Iemitsu glared at him. He had been suspicious about this from the start and this just confirmed it. "You're on that Potter's side."

Reborn raised a skeptical eyebrow at him. "I'm on no one's side but my own and Harry's on no one's side but  _his_  own. Stop making assumptions and jumping to ridiculous conclusions, Iemitsu."

"Don't you think it's suspicious though?" Iemitsu demanded, ignoring the insult. "I can literally find nothing on this guy. How can you trust him?"

"Simple; I don't trust him," Reborn shot back bluntly. "But I have known him for quite a few months now, and while I don't trust him personally, I do trust his integrity. He has yet to lie to me or anyone else, he has never broken his word, and I do believe he would rather slit his own throat than harm children."

Iemitsu snorted derisively. "That's all just amateur guesswork. You don't have anything concrete; aren't you supposed to be the greatest hitman in the wor-"

His voice died in his throat when hard onyx eyes pinned him in place and the air in the room seemed to thicken.

"Have a care in how you speak, Iemitsu," Reborn said flatly, voice dangerously soft. Out of the corner of his eye, Iemitsu watched the baby hitman's shadow lengthen and stretch across the room. "I'm not Harry; I have neither his patience nor penchant for finding entertainment in confrontation. While he might disregard your lack of respect to an extent, I will not."

Iemitsu forced down a shudder at the cold glint in Reborn's eyes and straightened cautiously instead. He nodded curtly and the hitman's shadow abruptly became the normal size again. The suffocating atmosphere disappeared without a trace as well.

"It's late," Reborn intoned, jumping down from his perch on the sofa and heading for the door. He paused by the doorway. "I'll give you one piece of advice, Iemitsu, and I suggest you take it, for the sake of Vongola if not you. Do not antagonize Hadrian Potter. That man is not someone you want as an enemy."

Iemitsu stayed in his study for a long while after the hitman had retired. Just from that warning, he could tell that Reborn honestly respected Potter, but why would he? That Brit clearly had quite a bit of influence over Tsuna and was on friendly terms with his wife, but the man was a ghost. Iemitsu couldn't dig up anything about him, nothing to bribe or blackmail him with in a worst-case scenario.

And that doctor, Trident Shamal; Iemitsu couldn't understand how the man had changed so much. Their last encounter had been a once-in-a-blue-moon job as usual, with the man treating one of his female agents from a particularly nasty gunshot. This had only been a mere two years ago and, of course, Iemitsu had tried to cajole Shamal into taking a post in the Vongola Famiglia. He had expected the usual rejection and the doctor had done as much, turning him down in adamant but grudgingly respectful tones.

Iemitsu had not seen the same thing tonight. Shamal had been borderline aloof all evening and downright hostile in the end when Iemitsu had made to deal with the doctor's partner in a more physical manner. Shamal was a lone wolf; if even Vongola, one of the most powerful famiglias in the world, couldn't convince him to side with them, what had Potter bribed – because obviously, that was the only way someone like Trident Shamal could be swayed – him with that had secured his loyalty?

Either way, he had to keep searching. As Tsuna's father, he couldn't let a complete stranger corrupt his son.

 

* * *

 

"Wow, nice place," Dino commented as he stepped inside, Romario a foot behind him.

"Thank you," Shamal waved them both in. "The others are all around somewhere. Make yourselves at home."

No sooner had Dino sat down in the living room, a blond-haired teen that could only be Joshima Ken stormed out of one hallway and towards the door. "I don't care about math! I don't care about  _school_! The bastard teacher can stick his tests where the sun doesn't shine!"

The slamming of the door echoed around the house but a pale-skinned youth with blue hair soon came out as well, calmer but with purpose in his strides as he followed the other boy out the door.

Another awkward second passed before Harry appeared, looking more tired than Dino had suspected yesterday at dinner.

He didn't seem surprised to see them here so Dino guessed the man had heard the door open the first time.

"Hey, sorry about that," Harry ran a weary hand through his hair as he ambled over.

"It's no problem," Dino rose to greet the Brit. "I was worse as a teenager."

Harry chuckled as he flopped into an armchair, somehow managing to make it look effortlessly elegant. Dino eyed the movement enviously. Not even Reborn could teach him something like that. "I was pretty bad too, moody and angry with my emotions all over the place. But enough about that; is there something you needed?"

"Ah, it's about Kyouya," Dino leaned forward, accepting the sake Shamal handed him. It was a bit early for alcohol but he had a feeling that the doctor was thinking more of his partner than the temporary guests. Harry looked like he needed a drink.

"He's shown me his weapons, in a spar of course," Dino continued. "He's a lot better than I thought he'd be. Your doing, I suppose?"

It wasn't really a question but Harry nodded anyway.

"Hmm, well, I was wondering if you'd have some time in your schedule to spare so you could join us for a bit," Dino rubbed the back of his head ruefully. "Kyouya doesn't say of course, but he prefers sparring with you, even if he can't defeat either of us."

Dino almost regretted asking because Harry looked two cups of sake away from oblivion. Almost surprisingly, the Brit simply downed said two cups before flipping open a planner.

"Two days from now, I can spare a few hours after lunch," Harry said after a long moment. "Is that alright?"

Dino nodded. "That'd be great, thanks. I'll tell Kyouya."

Harry smiled and got to his feet again. "Okay then. I'd stay to chat for a bit longer but it's time for Gokudera-kun's training session. Feel free to stay for as long as you want."

"Ah, I understand," Dino could only shake his head in amazement as Harry grabbed his coat and an apple before disappearing out the door without a backwards glance.

From what he had heard, Harry was taking quite a bit onto his plate, splitting his time with Reborn when it came to training the kids. While Ryohei had Colonello now, Dino had personally heard the boxer ask for training from Harry himself. If Dino didn't know better, he'd think the Brit was creating hours out of thin air with the amount of time he was spending on training sessions, tutoring sessions, and teenage drama in general.

"He's not sleeping," Shamal revealed from the right. "It's how he manages everything. He trains and tutors the kids during the day and writes up training manuals and goes over their homework during the night."

Dino blanched. "Is that healthy?"

Shamal snorted. "Of course not, but I'd like to see you try and stop him. He's been on a warpath ever since Sunday."

Dino shook his head. "I didn't get there in time to see the fight, just to end it. Was it that bad?"

"Squalo got the wrong impression," Shamal said dryly. "The Varia is probably gearing up for one hell of a fight at the moment."

Dino sighed. "Well no wonder Reborn got me working on Kyouya right away. I thought even he looked a bit worried, though Kyouya's the least of our worries at the moment."

"Aa," Shamal nodded in agreement. "Hibari and Hayato have probably bagged their battles. It's the others I'm worried about."

They both sighed simultaneously. They  _had_  to win. It would be a disaster for everyone around if they didn't.

 


	11. Rising Sun

 

"You're damn annoying! I don't need your help! Just leave me alone!"

Chikusa sighed tiredly as Ken stalked out of the house for the fifth time since they had started living here. He shot a faintly apologetic look in Hadrian's direction. He normally wouldn't, but the man had been as good as his word so far, helping them with anything they had trouble with. Besides their brief trip to Namimori last time with Mukuro, Chikusa had never stepped foot in Japan before and even he was getting passing grades in Japanese history after he had ignored the blow to his pride and approached Hadrian for assistance.

The same could not be said of Ken. The blond simply would not listen, too stubborn or too proud or too mistrustful or all three to let Hadrian in. His best friend was going to fail the upcoming midterms if he continued this way, especially in math, which was by far his worst subject.

Beside him, Hadrian sighed as well but waved a hand at the door. "Go after him; he'll listen to you. We'll call it a day, okay?"

Chikusa nodded silently and hurried out after his partner. He briefly considered asking Mukuro for help but decided against it. He didn't want to bother their leader for something so trivial.

 

* * *

 

"Are you going to sleep at all for the next two weeks?" Shamal asked pointedly when he found Harry up late yet again, going over homework and drawing up study plans.

Harry barely glanced up as he finished writing out what looked like a math equation. "No. Pass me that protractor, will you?"

Shamal obeyed before sitting down next to the man on the living room floor. "You know this isn't healthy."

"In the words of our younger generation:  _duh_ ," Harry retorted sardonically. "But I made a promise and I'm not about to break it. I told both of them I'd help get them caught up and I'm doing it even if I have to drag Ken screaming and kicking towards that goal."

"The brat's sleeping," Shamal said dryly. "You're the one suffering right now."

Harry snorted. "I've pulled more all-nighters under far more stressful circumstances than this. There's no need to worry. I'm just a bit out of practice at it, that's all. I've gotten lazy in your company."

Shamal only hummed thoughtfully and leaned back against the couch behind them. "Hey, Harry? Have you ever been in a war with other children before?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched his partner pause, a slight frown marring his features. That was an achievement all on its own. Harry hadn't stopped working in six days, though to be fair, they only had a little over a week more to prepare.

"Why do you ask?" Harry enquired at last, resuming his work.

Shamal shrugged, staring idly up at the ceiling. "You're taking this very seriously, and you really can't be more than twenty-two at the most but you fight with the experience of someone far older. Most people your age should be out finding jobs or going to school or drinking with friends or all three. You're pushing the kids much harder than you did before the confrontation with that Rokudo kid and I've seen what you've been going through with Hayato. You're teaching him battle strategy. What kind of twenty-two-year-old would know that sort of thing?"

Harry grunted and only answered after a long minute of silence, broken only by the scritch-scratch of pen on paper. "...I suppose I've seen my fair share."

Shamal straightened, staring directly at his partner now. That was probably the most concrete thing he had ever heard from Harry about the man's past, which was actually pretty sad. He doubted Harry would tell him  _which_  war exactly, or what had happened for that matter, but...

"Did you come out of the war alone?" He had always been curious about this; how could anyone in the world be completely alone like Harry had been when they had first met, with not a single friend or enemy or neutral party behind him?

Again, Harry paused, staring absently down at the half-filled page of notes.

"Shamal," A truly bitter smile that startled Shamal now surfaced on Harry's face. "I come out of everything alone."

Shamal couldn't quite bring himself to ask another question after that.

 

* * *

 

"This is for Ken?" Chikusa asked as a pile of different-coloured notebooks was placed in his hands.

"There's a copy for each of you," Hadrian told him, taking a gulp of coffee in-between. "Red for math, green for history, and blue for science, seemingly your worst subjects. Now hurry up or you'll be late for school."

Fifteen minutes later, Chikusa was standing in front of Ken's desk in their classroom, curiously sorting through the notebooks as he waited for the blond to come back from the bathroom.

Flipping open one of the red notepads, he could only stare at the list of concepts and examples written out neatly on each page. The concepts were clearly explained and the examples were all written out step-by-step. How the hell long had it taken Hadrian to write out everything? Was the man crazy? Why would anyone even bother?

"Kaki-pi, what's that?" Ken slipped back into his seat, already looking bored.

Chikusa handed over Ken's stack wordlessly and watched a look of rare shock colour the blond's features.

"Did he..." Ken's expression closed off and the bell rang soon after, the teacher shooting them an annoyed look as he strode in, one that was expertly ignored by both of them.

It didn't really surprise Chikusa though when Ken spent the lunch hour eating his bento while flipping through the notes and attempting his homework one more time. Perhaps living with Hadrian wasn't so bad for either of them after all. They could certainly do worse.

 

* * *

 

"Harry-san?"

Her mentor looked up from what looked like a list of stats in front of him and smiled at Chrome who was hovering in the doorway. "Chrome, come in. Is something wrong?"

Chrome fidgeted a little as she stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "Um, I just- I- Do you know about my illusions?"

The words were blurted out in a rush and she tried not to show how nervous she was.

"Yes, I've heard about them," Harry replied promptly and without censure.

Chrome almost slumped in relief. She should be used to it by now and Harry  _was_  acquainted with Mukuro-sama but she had spent years listening to her parents talk about her ability with disgust and anger.

"I know you've been teaching me aikido," Chrome continued timidly as she sat down in a seat next to her guardian. "But- Well, I can still use my illusions- um, not very well, of course, but..."

She trailed off and thought maybe actions would be better than words in this case. Frowning in concentration, she managed to conjure the trident she and Mukuro-sama had been working on for a while now. Anxiously, she glanced up at Harry.

Her guardian was eyeing her trident avidly, a reflective expression on his face.

"Can you do anything else?" He enquired at last.

Chrome shook her head uncertainly. "I- I used to be able to, but not anymore."

Harry frowned. "Natural abilities don't just go away. You probably just learned to not use them for so long that it's become a habit."

Nodding his head as if he had made up his mind on something, Harry rose to his feet and ushered her to the beanbags near the porch windows.

"Put the trident away," He instructed, and Chrome allowed the trident to disappear in a haze of Mist flames. "Now, I'm going to teach you how to meditate."

"Meditate?" Chrome blinked in confusion.

"The first step when you're trying to conjure anything is to centre yourself," Harry told her as he sat down across from her. "It won't do you any good if your mind is a mess. Close your eyes. Settle yourself. Even out your breathing."

Chrome did as she was told. She wasn't sure what the purpose of meditating was yet but Harry was helping her instead of dismissing her illusions and she was more than a little grateful for that.

 

* * *

 

"You're Potter, kora?"

Harry finished checking the last of Ken's math homework – a mess of chicken scratch that he could only read if he squinted but the work itself was a hell of a lot better – that the blond had dumped in the If You Want Your Work Checked Over Before Class bin outside Harry's room for the very first time before looking up.

"That's me," Harry nodded, unsurprised by the Rain Arcobaleno drifting in the air outside his open porch door. Colonello had been there for a while now, observing him from afar. "Can I help you with something?"

The seagull swooped downwards and Colonello landed nimbly on the back of a chair before replying. "Ryohei already told me that you're slipping extra training into his morning practices, kora. Do you have time to come by Mafia Land to spar with him as well?"

Blunt and to the point – Reborn had told him as much. Harry glanced at the calendar on the far wall before reaching for his planner.

"Only if I can bring Hayato along and we'll trade students for the day," Harry finally offered.

Colonello nodded at once. "Sounds good, kora. Today, after school lets out?"

Harry nodded in agreement and the blond was soon flying away again after a short farewell. He pretended not to notice when Colonello settled just out of sight on the porch railing. Harry didn't mind being spied on as long as the Arcobaleno didn't disturb his work.

 

* * *

 

"What are you doing, idiot?"

Colonello automatically scowled at the fedora-adorned hitman leaping up onto the railing beside him. "What does it look like, kora? I'm doing surveillance."

Reborn snorted. "You realize he knows you're here, right?"

Colonello paused and threw another glance at the Brit sitting inside the bedroom. "...No he doesn't, kora."

Reborn looked mildly amused now. "Yes, he does. He just doesn't mind your less-than-successful spying."

Colonello huffed in annoyance. "Fine, kora. I just wanted to know what was up with this guy. Ryohei said Potter started managing his Boxing Club two weeks ago. I gave him a workout and checked his strength level. He's improved by miles since I last saw him, kora!"

Reborn smirked in that smug way that made Colonello want to commit homicide. "Harry's a good trainer. Why do you think Ryohei refused to give up his morning training and Gokudera's been trying to chase him away?"

Colonello frowned as he thought back to the day he had been called in by Reborn to help train the boxer currently under his care. Ryohei had taken to him with good-natured enthusiasm but the boy had seemed restless and had thrown quite a few envious glances at Gokudera when it had been announced that most of the bomber's training would be taken care of by Potter. And then, the very next day during morning practice in which Colonello had watched from a nearby tree, he had seen Ryohei all but beg for training from the Brit. Gokudera had been there as well, having been instructed to join the boxers in their laps in the pool, and the bomber hadn't taken to Ryohei's wish all that well, to put it mildly. Gokudera had almost whipped out his dynamite when Ryohei had started calling Potter 'Shishou' as well.

Of course, the two had gotten into a fight over it and Colonello had been weighing the pros and cons of cutting in before fists started flying when Potter had quickly and effectively shut them both up, a single stern look at Gokudera to cool the bomber's temper and a calming hand on Ryohei's shoulder to settle the boxer. The impromptu spat had dissolved within seconds and Potter had sent both teens back to practice.

Colonello had been grudgingly impressed with that morning's training so he hadn't been offended when Ryohei looked more eager for practice than his own one-on-one sessions, but it had piqued his curiosity. He had already heard Iemitsu fuming over the lack of information on Potter, so, after a speedy surface check of his own into the Brit's nonexistent background, Colonello had given up and turned to gathering information in the here and now.

"You haven't told me anything about him," Colonello grumbled aloud.

Reborn actually shrugged, looking unconcerned. "He helps out the kids and having him for an enemy isn't a good idea. That's about all you need to know."

Colonello blinked as the hitman leapt off the railing and disappeared into the house through another porch window. Even Reborn was wary of this man? So much that he had freely warned Colonello away?

But they were also on friendly terms as well; he had seen that much at least. The few times Colonello had glimpsed of Potter and Reborn being within the same vicinity in the last two weeks, the two were either working together to create another training program for the kids or bantering good-humouredly with each other. They had never once been at each other's throats.

He looked back once more at the Brit before heaving a sigh and signalling his animal partner to head back to Mafia Land. If Potter already knew he was here, there wasn't much point for Colonello to stay.

 

* * *

 

"Shishou... Why do you call Turf-Top by his given name?"

Hayato caught a trace of exhaustion in the slightly stiff way Harry rolled his shoulders as he looked up from the homework perusal he was doing and Hayato instantly felt guilty. It was a stupid question and his mentor already had more than enough on his plate.

"Because Ryohei-kun has a sister, I suppose," Harry shrugged. "It would be awkward to call them both by their surnames, even with two different suffixes."

Hayato had guessed as much and nodded resignedly. He didn't have any siblings to speak of. ...Well, he did, but Bianchi only ever gave out her first name, not her last, so everyone called her the same thing.

"Would you like me to call you Hayato?"

Hayato's head jerked up and his face heated. "I- You don't have to, but- but I wouldn't  _mind_..."

He trailed off sheepishly and tried to ignore the tight feeling in his chest. Harry was  _his_  mentor  _first_ , not that idiot muscle head's – who already  _had_  Colonello, damn it; but Turf-Top now called Harry 'Shishou' as well and Harry didn't seem to mind. Hayato wouldn't either – not much at least – if Harry at least used Hayato's given name as well-

"You're thinking so loud I can hear you from here," Harry interrupted dryly. "Don't you have homework to do? Just because the ring battles are coming up doesn't mean you can slack when it comes to school, Hayato."

Hayato froze and stared for a moment before he scrambled to his feet and bounded to his room after calling out an acknowledgement. He allowed a stupid grin to surface on his face after shutting his bedroom door behind him. It was a silly thing to be happy about but Hayato couldn't help it.

And Harry didn't even use a suffix. Ha! Take that, stupid boxer!

 

* * *

 

Tsuna frowned in through confusion as he watched his father skulk around the house in about six layers of clothing. This had become the norm for the past several days, and for the life of him, Tsuna couldn't figure out the reason for it.

From what he had observed, it didn't look like his dad was cold or anything. In fact, Iemitsu was sweating under the layers, but every time Tsuna turned around, the man had pulled on another sweater. Once or twice, Tsuna had even heard his dad muttering something about not wearing enough clothes.

"Hey, Reborn," Tsuna leaned towards his tutor, not taking his eyes off his dad as the Mafioso sulked in a corner of the living room. "Do you know what's wrong with Tou-san?"

Reborn paused, fork halfway to his mouth. "He said he feels like the air is giving him hives," The hitman said offhandedly, clearly unconcerned. "So he puts on more clothes to get rid of the feeling."

Tsuna stared at his dad dubiously. "How does that work?"

Reborn shrugged and continued eating. "Apparently, the clothes stop the effect for a while before it comes back."

Tsuna eyed his tutor and wondered if the hitman had finally lost it. He yelped when a rubber bullet bounced off his head. "Ow! Reborn!"

"Eat your breakfast," Reborn ordered. "It's what Iemitsu told me. If you want to know more, you ask him."

Tsuna obediently started on his food again, throwing one last doubtful look at his father before grabbing his bag and heading out the door. He wasn't going to ask; for one, he was still angry at the way his dad had effectively stopped Harry from coming over as often, and to make matters worse, Tsuna couldn't go over to the apartment because Iemitsu had always tried to follow him.

With a silent huff of irritation just from thinking about his father's actions, Tsuna hurried out the door, waving at Gokudera and Yamamoto who had just arrived at his front gates.

 

* * *

 

"Is it going to wear off by the time the ring battles begin?" Reborn enquired without preamble. He snorted at the wide-eyed innocent look on Harry's face.

"Will what wear off?" The Brit asked. The amused glint in his eyes gave him away.

"Whatever's going on with Iemitsu," Reborn clarified, humouring the man with a grudging smirk of his own. "I admit, it's entertaining, but if the Decimo's own father walks around looking like a portable fashion faux pas, we'll be the laughing stock of Vongola before the night is up."

A bark of delighted laughter escaped Harry's mouth and Reborn couldn't help the answering snickers that came from his own when he recalled the numerous shirts and sweaters and even a set of hideously pink flower-patterned earmuffs – by way of Nana who had bought them off an old lady a few years back – Iemitsu had been tottering around in just a few hours ago.

"It'll be gone by then," Harry assured, looking the most cheerful Reborn had seen since the Varia had arrived. "Shame though. We could stick Iemitsu under a spotlight, present him to the Varia, and they'll laugh themselves unconscious all on their own. We'll win by default."

Reborn fought down more unbidden mirth and settled for watching Harry putter around the kitchen making dinner.

"You're like a housewife," Reborn mused aloud before he could really censor his words.

Harry stilled for only half a heartbeat so Reborn couldn't tell if the Brit was offended or not.

"I don't believe housewives teach people how to win battles," Harry replied, and his voice was mild and unchanged. However, it also lacked amusement.

Reborn inclined his head in acknowledgement, pausing in thought before deferring, "My apologies. It was a careless observation."

Harry turned on the stove before glancing back at him. "I'm hardly offended, Reborn. I suppose it does look that way. Don't worry about it."

The matter was dropped but before Reborn left for Tsuna's house, he caught a glimpse of Harry fiddling with the gold ring he was always wearing around his neck.

 

* * *

 

_"I'm home!"_

_I turn off the faucet and smile as my wife enters the kitchen. "Welcome back. How was court?"_

_"Frustrating," She says promptly, giving me a peck on the cheek before letting me help her out of her coat. "Politicians; sometimes, I just want to wring their necks."_

_I laugh and reel her back in for a proper kiss before hanging up her coat for her. "I told you being a lawyer would give you more violent tendencies than anything else."_

_She huffs but couldn't help smiling back at me. "Yes, yes, but I still enjoy it. How was your day?"_

_"Absolutely horrible," I answer without hesitation. "My dear wife left me alone all day in favour of a court case."_

_This startles a laugh out of her and I grin back unrepentantly._

_"You're perfectly fine on your own," She scolds mockingly but snuggles into my side once we take a seat on the sitting room couch. "And the summer will be over soon enough. You'll be back at Hogwarts and complaining with Severus about how much of a dunderhead all the students are in no time. Honestly, you're supposed to_ enjoy _your vacation, not grumble about it."_

_"Sweetheart, there is no way I can enjoy a vacation without you," I am completely serious. "Besides, what kind of person on vacation slaves away in the kitchen all day to make his wife's favourite dinner?"_

_Her eyes widen. "You made Fusilli Alla Toscana? I can't smell anything!"_

_I grin. "Magic, darling."_

_She rewards me with another drawn-out kiss that leaves both of us slightly breathless afterwards. "Oh, thank you! I'm so tired and I just want a good meal, a hot bath, and then sleep for the next three days."_

_I rise to my feet and sweep a flourishing bow. "Anything for you, my lady."_

_She laughs but takes my hand, smiling softly at me as we make our way back to the kitchen. By the time I finish setting the prepared dinner on the table, she is grinning mischievously at me._

_"What?" I ask, quirking an eyebrow._

_She cups her chin in one hand as she leans forward, a teasing glint in her eyes. "I just never took you for a housewife, Harry James Potter."_

Harry jerked awake, scattering a few sheets of paper onto the floor as his breath hitched and a foreign burn he hadn't felt in centuries stung his eyes.

With a heavy sigh, he leaned back in the chair he had fallen asleep in, running a weary hand over his face. Merlin, the lack of sleep and the blasted story he had been weaving were creating havoc on his mind. They brought up memories he had rarely thought of for quite a while now. He supposed he should be grateful that everyone had agreed to stop nagging him to continue for the time being. Maybe they would forget about it after the Varia threat was gone.

As he regained a firmer grip on the waking world, Harry became aware of the tiny pulsing presence along the mind link between himself and a certain convict. Biting back a groan, he wondered how much of the dream had managed to slip through his shields, but Mukuro was silent.

 _~Curious?~_  Harry enquired at last, keeping his mental voice light.

The answer was prompt, as if by speaking, Harry had given the boy permission to talk about it.  _~Intrigued. That was not just a dream. Who was the woman?~_

Harry smiled up at the ceiling, not quite bitter, not quite sweet.  _~What if I told you she was my wife?~_

A flash of interest. A wave of fascination.  _~I would say it is not entirely impossible.~_

Neither of them said anything more after that, and after a glass of water and a walk around the apartment to stretch his legs, he returned to the homework he had been checking over before he had fallen asleep.

 

* * *

 

"You've got a tail," Colonello commented as he floated alongside Potter. They were following Ryohei's laps around Mafia Land. The boy was one of the most persistent Colonello had ever seen.

"Hmm, yes," Potter nodded in complete nonchalance.

"You're not going to do anything about it?" Colonello prompted curiously.

Potter shrugged. "He's a kid; what am I going to do, break his legs and send him back to his master in a box?"

Colonello huffed. He hadn't been thinking anything that extreme, although, granted, that was actually the normal procedure for spies who were caught on the job by Mafioso – if they weren't tortured and killed first, of course.

"It isn't as if there's anything the boy could see me doing and report back that could get me in trouble," Potter continued without concern. "Though I find it rather vexing that Iemitsu is simply too lazy to do the job himself and sends his apprentice to do it for him. An apprentice who should be helping Tsuna train."

This last part was said loudly enough that the shadow hovering out of sight shrank back even further before an embarrassed-looking Basil stepped out in the open.

Colonello turned around fully and raised an unimpressed eyebrow. Well, Iemitsu had just dropped another few notches in his books. What was the man thinking, endangering his son like this? He wasn't exactly sure what Reborn was trying to teach his student but he knew it was important for the upcoming battle against Xanxus.

"My apologies, Potter-san," Basil bowed before straightening, looking conflicted. "Iemitsu-dono asked me to follow you as a precaution. He does not want one of his son's tutors to run into trouble, what with the Varia currently staying in town."

Colonello frowned. The boy wasn't a half-bad liar, but as far as he knew – as far as  _everyone_  knew, Iemitsu had no lost love for Potter whatsoever. Heck, the man was probably hoping Potter fell off a cliff or something.

He glanced to the side and only just managed to suppress a shiver. Potter was still smiling but his eyes had frozen over.

"I don't particularly mind Iemitsu having sent someone after me," Potter said in a careless tone. "But don't lie to me, Basil-kun."

Basil reddened just a little but he straightened defensively. "You are a potential danger to Sawada-dono! Iemitsu-dono is only protecting him from the likes of you! You should be ashamed of yourself for taking advantage of Sawada-dono!"

Colonello smothered a derisive snort. What the hell was Iemitsu playing at? He had heard from Reborn that Basil hadn't been there the first time Potter had met Iemitsu – something about staying in a nearby hotel – but it should be fairly obvious that the animosity between them was largely due to Iemitsu's idiocy.

Potter chuckled, tilting his head to the side in detached amusement. Colonello compared this expression to what the Brit usually displayed for the children around him. He had seen Potter treat Ryohei and Gokudera with the utmost care. Oh, he definitely pushed them to their limits, sometimes even past them, but he was also kind, always tending to any injuries they had after a training session and carrying them home if they were too tired to walk back on their own.

Apparently, this only applied to the kids Potter knew. It probably didn't help that this particular kid worked under Iemitsu.

"That man has the gall to say he wishes to protect his own son from me when he has never made an effort to do anything for his family besides throwing money at them?" Harry enquired silkily, and though he hadn't moved at all Colonello suddenly got the impression of  _predator_. Those green eyes certainly seemed to be glowing eerily enough.

Basil would've had to be an absolute idiot not to see it as well and the teen wisely backed off. Not much, but his self-preservation instincts seemed to be working at least.

"Iemitsu-dono loves his family very much," Basil said stiffly.

"Does he?" Harry's eyes darkened further and Colonello made a mental note not to piss this man off when he was already running on no sleep. Potter had a far more distinct lack of concern for other people's emotional wellbeing when he was tired. Maybe even just wellbeing in general.

"Personally, I think he merely fancies the idea of a loving, normal family waiting for him on the side to come home from his mysterious job," Harry was saying, and there wasn't even the slightest edge of a bite in his words – it was all delivered in a smooth, level, hypnotizing tone. "A devoted wife waiting to cater to his every whim, whether that be washing all the clothes he treks through mud before he gets home or eating the food she cooks for him whenever he wants it or drinking large quantities of alcohol while he lazes around the house without even the most basic of decorum, regardless of all the impressionable children around him."

Colonello looked on in morbid fascination as the incriminating words poured out into the open in that faintly accented aristocratic lilt Potter seemed to have raised to an art form. He distantly wondered if Reborn had ever seen this side of the Brit.

On the other hand, most of the colour seemed to have drained from Basil's face and the boy even looked mildly sick. "I- Iemitsu-dono isn't-"

Potter wasn't finished. "And now, he has sent you to spy on me when he knows full well that Tsuna needs all the training he can get before the Sky Ring battle." Frosty green eyes flashed dangerously. "Unless that arrogant, dim-witted, self-opinionated buffoon is aiming to get his son killed, it doesn't seem at all like Iemitsu  _loves his family very much_."

Basil was gawking in a rather unsightly manner but Colonello was too busy trying not to gape at the Brit himself to scoff at the teen.

There it was. The dark edge Colonello had been looking for ever since he had heard about Potter, and not just  _Potter_ , but  _Trident Shamal's partner_. No one as nice and harmless as Potter portrayed himself to be could survive in the mafia world, and a certified assassin like Shamal would never agree to work with someone who couldn't pull his own weight. Here was the first real proof Colonello had seen of a man who could bite back with a ferocity that would make him frightening to face in battle. Coupled with the mild-mannered facade Potter wore like a second skin and the Brit could be downright terrifying.

The air had thickened as well. Colonello was fairly certain that Potter didn't have flames but the atmosphere around them bore the same dangerous heaviness that Reborn's surroundings would have when something had truly angered the hitman.

However, just as Colonello thought Basil was going to faint and he was inwardly debating the pros and cons of cutting in, Potter blinked and smiled, and the invisible weight disappeared, along with the merciless gleam that had sharpened the Brit's eyes only moments ago.

"I think you should probably be heading back now, Basil-kun," Potter said as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. "Tsuna will be needing some help in his training, don't you think? Oh, and feel free to repeat what I said to Iemitsu. Word for word, if you please."

Basil backed down. There was no way the boy couldn't, not after that verbal lashing. With a shaky nod and a heightened sense of wariness on his face, the CEDEF member retreated as quickly as possible, all but fleeing Mafia Land as fast as his feet could take him.

"Was that really necessary, kora?" Colonello asked after a long minute of silence.

Potter flicked a calm gaze over at him. "Well someone had to do it. Reborn is a respected ally of Vongola but he has no authority to order CEDEF around. If Iemitsu orders his team to do something, Reborn hasn't complained but he's getting frustrated and he can't do anything about it. I, on the other hand, have no real attachments to Vongola. I can do whatever I want. And this way, at least Basil-kun has a good excuse to return to his original assignment."

"You're not afraid of the backlash, kora?" Colonello prodded inquisitively. "Vongola is one of the most powerful Famiglias in the world. Probably  _the_  most powerful in all of Europe, bar the Vindice."

Potter only laughed, and the genuine humour in the sound strangely made Colonello tense.

"Scared of the Vongola, Colonello?" A smile that was oddly sympathetic. "Whatever they do to me, I guarantee I will be able to return the gesture tenfold."

Perhaps the most terrifying thing of all about Potter was the fact that Colonello believed him.

 

* * *

 

Under the cover of the night, Harry leapt off a nearby building and landed lightly in front of one of Namimori's more extravagant hotels.

The Cervello had appeared yesterday, announcing the official start of the ring battles would be tomorrow evening, beginning with the Sun Ring battle. Harry hadn't been there to see the so-called judges but he had heard that Xanxus had agreed to the terms.

And that simply didn't sit right with Harry. Someone like Xanxus just had to have something else in mind.

A whisper was all the warning Harry would've gotten if his magic hadn't already picked up the danger, but he stayed still as a silver blade was levelled at his neck, just brushing his jugular in a plain sign of warning.

"Who the hell are you and what do you want, trash?" The low voice growled hostilely in his ear but Harry was more interested in the way the sword at his neck never wavered, never even twitched, and while Harry's magic had notified him of Superbi Squalo's presence, he hadn't even seen the man approach. The Sword Emperor looked to have honestly earned his name.

"Hadrian Potter, honour to meet you," Harry replied easily in Italian. "I'd offer my hand but you're threatening to decapitate me."

This straightforward greeting seemed to throw Squalo off because there was a few heartbeats of silence before the man spoke again.

"And what exactly are you doing here?" Squalo snapped, effortlessly reverting back to Italian as well.

"Checking out the competition, so to speak," Harry said cheerfully. "I couldn't make it earlier today when the Cervello arrived and the whole ring battles were announced so I didn't even get to see the Varia elite."

Another drawn-out pause and Harry smugly thought he had sufficiently confused Squalo quite thoroughly.

The sword withdrew and Harry smiled as he turned to face Squalo. The swordsman was glaring at him but at least he had crossed his arms and wasn't outright pointing his sword at him.

"Vvooii!" The man snarled. "Are you mentally challenged, trash? You're in enemy territory!"

Harry shrugged, slipping his hands into his pockets as he glanced up briefly at the hotel behind him. "Well technically, I'm not one of your enemies."

Squalo peered at him suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

Harry grinned impishly. "I'm just one of the people  _training_  your enemies."

Squalo's right eye twitched before he roared, "VVOOII! THAT'S THE SAME THING!"

Harry laughed. Ooh, the Sword Emperor seemed to be the type to get riled up easily, and Harry excelled at riling people up.

Squalo was now looking at him as if he really was trying to decide whether or not Harry had taken leave of his mental faculties.

"Are you spying for them then?" Squalo questioned grouchily, obviously trying to drag their conversation back on track. "You're not doing a very good job."

"Not much point to that, is there?" Harry waved a dismissive hand. "Nah, I'm honestly here just to see what you people look like." He studied Squalo for a moment. "You're the Rain Guardian, yeah?"

Squalo's eyes immediately narrowed. "What of it?"

Harry shrugged again. "Nothing, just curious."

He flicked one wrist and the silver knife he usually used in battle slipped securely into the palm of his hand. He arched an eyebrow when Squalo stiffened and readied his sword again.

"Sorry, sorry," Harry made sure that the blade was pointed down. He had forgotten how paranoid Mafioso could be. "I normally fight with this. After the ring battles, do you want to spar?"

Squalo stared at him in complete disbelief. "What part of enemies  _do you not understand_ , trash?!"

Harry tried a pout. Hermione had often told him that it worked like a charm, though mostly on older parental figures and women. "What does that have to do with anything? It's not like I'm Vongola. And you like sparring, don't you?"

Squalo opened his mouth, no doubt to shout something scathing back at him, but then he closed his mouth and considered him intently for a long moment before speaking again.

"I know what you're doing," He finally said gruffly. "That damn innocent act isn't going to work. Everyone in underground Italy and several other countries have heard of Quicksilver."

Harry blinked blankly at the swordsman, absently tucking his knife away. "'Quicksilver'?"

Squalo scoffed. "That's you, isn't it? Black hair, green eyes, British, Trident Shamal's new partner. Quicksilver."

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. "'Quicksilver'? That's what people are calling me?  _Seriously_?"

Squalo snorted. "You have a silver knife, trash, and you're rumoured to be fast. You don't kill most of the time so word has spread that most people can't even see you when you attack them before it's too late. That's what happens when you let your fucking enemies walk. You get noticed."

"Leaving a trail of dead bodies gets you pretty noticed too," Harry pointed out dryly.

Squalo grinned, all teeth. "Yeah, but only your reputation. No one  _knows_  you until you introduce yourself, and by then, they'll already be dead."

Harry snorted. A part of him couldn't believe he was standing here talking to a Varia officer about death and mafia but his life couldn't exactly be called normal to begin with anyway.

"Well, it's getting late," Harry said, glancing back once more at the hotel before nodding a cordial farewell.

Unbeknownst to Squalo during their light banter, Harry had tagged the swordsman with both a Tracking Charm and a Listening Charm. Underhanded and he rather liked Squalo even after only a few minutes, but his kids were first priority. The charm would spread out to the other Varia officers when Squalo got near them so Harry would know where they were at all times and hear their conversations as well.

He was, in the end, at least one-quarter Slytherin at heart.

"One more thing," Squalo called after him as Harry made to move away. The swordsman hadn't forcibly tried to stop him so Harry paused and threw a questioning look over his shoulder.

"I didn't sense you until you reached the front of the hotel," Squalo's gaze sharpened. "Did you let me catch you?"

Harry's mouth quirked up in a faint smile but didn't bother replying. Squalo already knew the answer to that.

 

* * *

 

"Mou, Squalo, what's got you all moody?"

Squalo scowled irritably at the fucking homo lounging on the other side of the room. "None of your business, trash. This is how I always am."

He stalked past Lussuria and headed for the interior suite, knocking twice on the door and waiting impatiently for the gravelly "what do you want, scum?" before entering.

"Vooii!" Squalo barked out, smoothly ducking a wine glass when Xanxus hurled one at him. "Shitty Boss, I was doing my rounds and met someone outside! Quicksilver's in town."

Red eyes narrowed but Xanxus showed no other outward reaction. "And? How is this relevant to anything?"

Squalo felt his temper rise as it always did when dealing with his boss but he fought it down and snapped out a reply. "He said he has a hand in training the trash we'll be fighting."

His boss snorted and waved a dismissive hand. "What can he do for them? They're all scum. Quicksilver only appeared less than two years ago. He's fast and not much else. He doesn't even have the guts to kill the trash he's been hired to take down. Now get out and stop wasting my time."

Squalo felt a vein pulse in his forehead and he blared, "VOOII! He's a professional assassin that that doctor took on as a partner! He shouldn't be underes-"

He didn't get any further than that before another wine glass was hurled at him, crashing into the wall behind him.

"Get out, scum," Xanxus ordered in a snarl. "Now."

Squalo tch'ed in frustration but did as he was told, turning on his heel and storming out the door again. Damn boss; the man never listened.

He ignored Lussuria on his way out and stalked back to his own room instead.

Scowling moodily out the window and into the night, he recalled the laidback frame of the man he had met earlier. Quicksilver looked to be his age; younger than Squalo had expected for someone Trident Shamal had partnered up with.

Normally, he couldn't care less about the trash in this town but Shamal at least had been considered for Varia, multiple times, and that alone made him uneasy. He remembered the run-in with those brats a few weeks back; they had been stronger than he had expected. The trash that the Nono had named as his heir had stayed in the back and Squalo had thought that that would be his only concern. The trash might be a boy, but he was still being trained by Reborn, and even Squalo wasn't too proud to admit that the Sun Arcobaleno was currently out of his reach.

But the kid's subordinates had unsettled him. The united front they presented – and from what Squalo had been able to glean, the bomber trash had been holding back too – shouldn't have been that strong.

But if Quicksilver was training them, that might explain it. His shitty boss might not think that the Brit was anything to worry about but Squalo had actually  _met_  the man. Besides the fact that Quicksilver had  _let_  himself get caught, there was just something lurking behind that man's easygoing mask that made Squalo wary.

Like a wolf in sheep's clothing.

All the rumours that had been floating about the European mafia world about Quicksilver for the past year or so now only had four things to go by: a physical description – black hair, green eyes, British, and pale-skinned; being the only male that Trident Shamal could stand being around for an extended period of time; wielded a silver knife; and was very, _very_  fast.

Fast meant hard to kill. Oddly enough though,  _nobody_  could accurately say how Quicksilver attacked. With a knife, yes, but some of his victims came back confused and empty-handed but not a single knife wound on their person.

Squalo wasn't like the rest of the Varia officers – with perhaps the exception of Mammon – who were too damn lazy to do their own research on rising figures in the mafia world. He always kept up with the ever-changing power struggle and he had dug into Quicksilver's past the moment  _power_  and  _fear_  had been connected back to the Brit.

And he had found a grand total of abso-fucking-lutely nothing on said man.  _Nothing_.

It had aggravated him beyond words, but with his own damn boss' recent release and their bid for the Vongola throne, that issue had been pushed aside for the time being.

Until now. Squalo had  _not_  been expecting Quicksilver to appear in Namimori, though he really should have guessed earlier when the Cervello had arrived to mediate between their two factions and Squalo had caught a glimpse of Trident Shamal standing nearby.

With an angry huff, Squalo threw himself on the couch and grabbed the file he had put together of the brats they would be facing. Trash they might be, but he was nothing if not prepared.

Even better, Lussuria was up first so Squalo could observe and see if what he had been confronted with that Sunday had just been a fluke. If it was, great, their plan would go off without a hitch. If it wasn't, Squalo was going to have to kick his teammates' asses in gear. Most of them had already dismissed the brats and weren't even planning to go all out.

 

* * *

 

"I will win this to the extreme!"

Harry tuned out Colonello's swift reprimand for the boxer to calm down and save his energy for the battle. The Varia had already gathered on the opposite side of what looked like a boxing arena. A lazy scan of the group told him that only Squalo was staring back at him, narrow-eyed and guarded.

Harry nodded a friendly greeting – one that Squalo scoffed at – before turning his attention on the arena. It looked like your average boxing ring at first glance but he knew enough about Mafioso – especially Mafioso in this world - by now that he was sure there was something more to it.

He studied the black-plated base and sent his magic out to sniff out what was inside. Huh, wires and cables, connecting to the ropes and through the four pillars that supported what looked like a light panel above the arena.

He glanced back at the designated Sun Guardian and cautiously watched the flamboyant man adjust his sunglasses. From the physical descriptions Shamal had given him, Lussuria always wore sunglasses but...

He looked up at the lights again and then at the ropes.

"Oi, Potter!" Colonello called out. "Do you have any last-minute advice, kora?"

Harry turned to Ryohei who looked both pumped and anxious. Placing a hand on the boxer's shoulder, he sent a soothing wave of magic into the boy and Ryohei visibly settled.

"Watch out for the ropes," He murmured, angling himself so that anyone in the Varia who could read lips wouldn't be able to see their conversation. "It's highly likely that they'll burn you if you touch them."

Ryohei nodded determinedly, hands clenching.

"Colonello and I have also been training your other senses," Harry continued, nodding discreetly up at the lights. "Depending on whether or not I'm right, it might be best for you to close your eyes as soon as those come on."

It took a few seconds for Ryohei to catch on but he nodded again once he understood. "My hearing is extremely heightened! I won't need my eyes."

Harry exchanged a glance with Colonello before instructing, "Okay, run through what I told you about Lussuria again."

"He's an extreme martial arts expert, especially in Muay Thai," Ryohei started obediently. "He might change his fighting style so don't fall into a rhythm of defending against only one type. Watch out for his left leg; his knee is metal-plated to the extreme. I should be careful when defending his kicks more than his punches. Aim for his hands; avoid his metal knee until my extreme attack is charged to the extreme."

Harry nodded his approval and Colonello smiled in satisfaction. "Good. One last thing then: what are you fighting for?"

Ryohei's eyes flashed with resolve and his shoulders squared. "To protect Sawada and my sister. I don't want either of them to worry; I'll win to the extreme!"

Harry smiled and clapped the boy on the shoulder as the Cervello appeared. "Alright, get going."

"Do your best, kora!" Colonello added as Ryohei bounded forward to join Tsuna and the rest of his friends.

"Do you think he can win?" Colonello muttered as they watched the teens huddle and shout a battle cry.

"It could go either way," Harry leaned back against the tree behind him, mostly hidden in the shadows as they waited for the match to begin. "Ryohei's improved, but Lussuria might step up his game."

Colonello nodded, arms crossed and frowning. Neither said anything more as the two Sun Guardians stepped into the ring.

 

* * *

 

"Lussuria," Squalo barked out, eyes never wavering from the shadow-cloaked figure standing mostly apart from the rest of the trash, with only the Rain Arcobaleno hovering beside him. "You probably shouldn't use Muay Thai."

Lussuria tilted his head, clasping his hands together. "Ah, are you worried about me, Squalo? How sweet-"

"VOOII!" Squalo cut him off, thoroughly pissed. What the hell was he thinking anyway? The trash could go and get himself killed for all he cared. "Nevermind, just hurry up, trash!"

Squalo ignored the peculiar look Mammon had levelled on him and glowered darkly at Quicksilver instead. Damn it, the man was making his instincts go haywire.

 

* * *

 

Ryohei thought he was doing fairly well. The lights had almost blinded him when they switched on, but he remembered what Harry had told him and had shut his eyes right away. The last few weeks had been spent polishing up his other senses. Both Harry and Colonello had agreed that his boxing was getting better and better at an acceptable pace.

At the moment, his ears picked up the attacks that whistled through the air in his direction and had been able to block most of them. He kept in mind to stay away from the ropes, especially whenever his extreme opponent tried to punch him into them.

Ducking under another kick, he weaved forward, evading two elbows and got in a few punches of his own, the first one missing but the second catapulting Lussuria backwards.

He grinned, fists brought up in a ready stance. Both his masters were amazing. Colonello had trained him in speed and stealth when he had been blindfolded while Harry had been his primary opponent because the Brit also knew Muay Thai. They had all prepared for this battle as much as they could.

"Hmm? You're certainly better than I thought," Lussuria was getting back up now, and then the air around them abruptly changed as Ryohei felt his opponent come at him from a different angle.

He stumbled backwards from the first kick, feeling a rib crack, and knew it was no longer Muay Thai he was facing. But Harry had prepared him for this too. The Brit knew several different martial arts and had constantly switched between them when Ryohei had sparred with him.

He took another painful jab against his forearm before dodging the next blows and trying to come up with a counterattack. This wasn't Muay Thai; this was Kung Fu.

He breathed out a sigh of relief before surging forward and dodging the next series of attacks. He launched several punches of his own, blocking and redirecting until he sensed a fist coming from his left.

 _Take the wrists out_ , he could almost hear Harry telling him.  _A martial arts specialist values their limbs most of all._

Twisting out of the way, Ryohei's right fist shot out and slammed against his opponent's wrist. He bit down on the tiny spark of guilt when he felt the bones give way. He had to win this; pitying the man wouldn't do him any good, and it was disrespectful anyway.

He choked off a stunned cry when a leg lashed out and caught him on the side, knocking him off his feet and sending him sprawling across the arena. He gritted his teeth and rolled out of the way, inwardly wincing when he heard the sound of metal crashing against the floor. That would've hurt to the extreme.

The follow-up kick to the face was agonizing and Ryohei couldn't keep from yelping in pain when his nose broke. He scrambled to recover but his heart almost stopped when a familiar voice reached his ears from the sidelines.

"Onii-chan!"

 

* * *

 

"Who was in charge of watching the girls today, kora?" Colonello frowned in disapproval as he and Potter followed the three females' progress towards Tsuna and the others.

"You make it sound like we assign them a babysitter every time we leave them alone," Harry remarked sardonically. "They should be with Bianchi, I-Pin, and Fuuta. Kyoko-chan, Haru-chan, and Hana-chan must've snuck out."

"Che," Colonello scowled. "It's dangerous here. Where's the fourth one then?"

"Chrome? She's back at the apartment with Ken and Chikusa. Shamal's keeping an eye on them."

Colonello heaved a sigh and kept a sharp eye on the redhead in particular. He knew Ryohei loved his sister more than anyone else on the planet.

Although she seemed to be helping more than anything else. Where before Ryohei had been in the process of getting his ass kicked after Lussuria switched forms a third time, the boxer was pulling himself together again, his resolve strengthening once more.

"His cell transfer rate's going up to 100%, kora!" Colonello could almost see the energy gathering in his student's right fist. He couldn't help grinning when the fully-charged Maximum Cannon smashed against Lussuria's knee-plate, destroying the piece of metal and breaking the man's leg.

Ryohei didn't let his opponent rest though and Colonello nodded in approval when the boxer followed up the attack with a left hook that caught Lussuria directly in the jaw.

"We've got this, kora!" Colonello said, glancing to the side at Potter.

"Not quite," Harry murmured, and Colonello turned back just in time to see Lussuria's other foot come up and slam against the side of Ryohei's head.

Both fighters went down hard, and Colonello had to wince at the muffled scream that came from Kyoko. Neither stirred from their position on the floor as silence flooded the school grounds.

Colonello floated forwards, looking between Ryohei and the Cervello. "What now, kora? Is it a tie? Do they fight again another day?"

One of the pink-haired women stepped forward. "No, this match ends in a draw. As such, it is neither side's win. This fight will not count. Should the ensuing battles end in a draw after the Sky Ring battle, each side will choose their strongest fighter to decide the tiebreaker. For now, the Sun rings will remain separated and we will proceed to the Lightning Ring battle."

Colonello grimaced and he caught Reborn hiding a frown. Well, Ryohei had done his best. It was unfortunate that Lussuria had stopped fooling around once he realized Ryohei was stronger than the Varia had expected.

A movement out of the corner of his eye made him turn and his eyes widened when he saw the robot, the Varia's Cloud Guardian, shift. "What the hell do you think you're doing, kora?!"

The shot was fired before the question fully left his mouth.

 

* * *

 

Harry was moving before the Cervello had even finished talking. He rapidly flicked out a few Notice-Me-Not Charms around the arena and Apparated just as the Gola Mosca fired. He jumped directly into the ring, pausing for a fleeting half-second to scoop up Ryohei and, after a heartbeat's hesitation, Lussuria, before Apparating all of them away.

He landed to the right of Tsuna's group even as the arena behind them exploded in a rain of glass and metal.

"NII-CHAN!" Kyoko was all but sobbing now, her eyes wide and terrified.

Harry sighed before calling out, "Over here, Kyoko-chan. Your brother will be fine."

Unceremoniously, he tossed Lussuria onto the ground before gently lowering Ryohei onto the flat surface. Kyoko sprinted over, skidding to her knees and ignoring the fact that the jeans she was wearing would get dirty.

"Nii-chan?" She croaked, clutching at her brother's arms as everyone else gathered around. "Is he- His nose-"

"He'll be fine," Harry repeated, sending a stream of healing magic into the boxer to speed up the process as he ran a hand over the multitude of injuries. "Broken nose, a broken rib and two cracked ones, and his right wrist is badly sprained, but he'll be alright."

Sighs of relief permeated the air and Tsuna directed a grateful smile at him as he dropped to his knees beside Harry. "Thanks, Harry-san. None of us saw that coming."

Harry gave a vague noncommittal sound and glanced back at Reborn. The Notice-Me-Not Charms hadn't worked on the hitman. He was fairly certain Reborn had seen him move, probably the only reason that the baby hadn't given some kind of warning himself.

Reborn arched an eyebrow at him but neither of them said anything about it.

"Why did you do that?" Tsuna was looking at the Varia now, and Harry picked up the subtle hints of shock behind the indifferent sneers on their faces. "The battle was over! Your own ally was there! You could've hit him!"

Xanxus rose to his feet and voiced scornfully, "That was the point, trash. He lost. Scum deserve to die."

Before Tsuna could do more than stare in open-mouthed shock, Xanxus had turned and stalked away, heading for the school gates with the other Varia officers trailing behind him. Only Squalo looked back once, briefly meeting Harry's gaze before disappearing into the night.

"That's insane!" Tsuna shook his head, glancing uncertainly at the martial artist lying a few feet away. "Wh- What do we do with him?"

"I'll take him to the hospital," Dino offered, hauling Lussuria up. "What about Ryohei?"

"We'll take him to the apartment," Harry suggested, scooping up the boxer once more. "Kyoko-chan, I'm sure Chrome wouldn't mind lending you some of her clothes, so you can stay over tonight if you want. Same with you two."

He glanced at the two girls on either side of the redhead and all three nodded, Kyoko still tearful.

"Alright then," Harry looked down at Tsuna. "What do you want to do?"

"Uh," Tsuna glanced first at Ryohei and then back at Harry. "Can I come too? I'd like to stay until Onii-san wakes up at least."

"Oh, me too," Yamamoto interjected, Lambo carefully balanced on his shoulder. "It would be better if Senpai doesn't wake up alone. We can all sleepover like we usually do."

Harry nodded while Hayato grumbled just to keep up appearances. "Okay then, let's go."

"Wait," Iemitsu cut in at last and Harry made sure his features were blank as he shifted Ryohei into a more comfortable position. "Tsuna, you'll come back home. Your friend will be fine, and you've got school tomorrow."

Harry hid a smirk when Tsuna rounded on his father, who was, thankfully, normally dressed once again.

"I'm not going to leave Onii-san alone," Tsuna insisted in a nearly flat tone of voice. "I'll wake up in time to get back home and get ready for school. I've done it before."

With the bearing of a boss, the brunet whirled around again, glancing sharply at Gokudera and Yamamoto and even Lambo. "Let's go. I want Onii-san in a bed as soon as possible."

Hayato practically beamed and Yamamoto grinned agreeably as they all turned for the school gates.

Harry caught the proud gleam in Reborn's eyes even as fought down laughter at the dumbfounded look on Iemitsu's face.

 

* * *

 

Harry had banned Ryohei from going to morning practice  _or_ school so the teen had alternated between sulking to the extreme, working on his homework to the extreme, and apologizing to the extreme.

The latter was, of course, for losing the match. Apparently, a tie was a loss in his book and while Kyoko had the patience of a saint and, after school was over, simply assured her brother repeatedly that she forgave him for getting hurt, Colonello had finally lost his patience, smacked Ryohei – only hard enough to ache for a bit – over the head for being an idiot, and fled the apartment before the boxer could apologize for being an extreme idiot.

It had taken a combined effort of Tsuna's reassurances, Hayato's insults, and Yamamoto's sympathies to alleviate Ryohei's worries. It was, after all, still early in the game. They still had six battles to get through after all.

When Ryohei got around to apologizing to Harry though, Harry had sighed, flicked him on the forehead in admonishment, before telling him to learn from the match and grow even stronger next time. His words certainly had a better effect than Colonello's straightforward refusal to hear any of Ryohei's apologies did.

 


	12. Foreshadowing Lightning

 

"Scum, get me all the information you have on Quicksilver."

Squalo snorted derisively. "I would, but if you had listened to me earlier, you'd know that there's nothing on him that isn't already common knowledge."

He ducked a bottle of wine and continued glaring irritably at his boss. As loath as he was to admit it, he'd follow Xanxus to the lowest depths of hell and back but the man was really damn high-strung.

"What do you mean nothing, scum?" Xanxus scowled.

"He's a ghost prior to his partnership with Trident Shamal," Squalo reported. "No one knows anything about his past, where he trained, who he was apprenticed under – nothing. He virtually doesn't exist until about two years ago."

Xanxus' eyes narrowed but he didn't throw anything else and dismissed him shortly after so Squalo took that as a sign that his boss was finally taking Quicksilver at least somewhat seriously.

About time too.

Locking himself in his room, Squalo reviewed the tape of the match that the Cervello had handed over after the battle. It wasn't the fight Squalo was interested in though – he had no desire to see Lussuria get taken down by a teenager just because the idiot trash had been fooling around. They were the Varia, for God's sakes. That any of them,  _professional assassins_  who had each trained for at least a  _decade_ , could be beaten by a bunch of teens who had mostly been training for less than a year was downright insulting. The only two besides the Decimo-wannabe that Squalo thought  _might_  pose a problem were the Storm and Mist kids.

Just thinking about it pissed him off so Squalo concentrated on the video recording instead.

There. There it was. One moment, Quicksilver was standing by the tree, hovering just at the corner of Squalo's eye, and then, in the next moment, he had disappeared. Squalo had lost him, hadn't seen him again until the explosion had died down and the man was standing beside the group of kids, the boxer trash cradled in one arm and Lussuria hanging from the other. Actually, come to think of it, Squalo hadn't even noticed he was standing there until Quicksilver had called out.

But Squalo hadn't even seen him move. The rumours all said Quicksilver was fast. This was leagues  _beyond_  fast. This was instantaneous. Squalo hadn't even blinked and the Brit had escaped his line of sight.

He had already tried slowing the damn tape down but he still couldn't see even a trace of a blur. The shot fired by Gola Mosca blocked the arena from sight so it simply looked as if Quicksilver had somehow retrieved the two Sun Guardians and ended up out of the explosion's range. Somehow.

With an irritated sigh, he switched the recording off and stalked away to threaten Levi. If that octopus groupie lost – and to a  _five-year-old_  no less – Squalo would gut him personally.

 

* * *

 

Tsuna's room was rather cramped since Gokudera, Yamamoto, Ryohei, Lambo, Dino, Romario, his dad, Basil, Colonello, Reborn, and Harry were all crammed inside.

Tsuna wasn't sure but he thought something might have happened between Basil and Harry because the former always avoided the latter like the plague. Even now they were sitting on opposite sides of the table everyone was gathered around. Harry was the same as always of course, and doing a wonderful job of pretending not to notice Iemitsu's dark glowers.

"So the next battle will be between the two Lightning Guardians," Dino started when the silence started becoming uncomfortable. "I'm guessing we're forfeiting this one?"

He sent a knowing look in Tsuna's direction. Tsuna flushed red. He didn't want Lambo to fight – who the  _hell_  would think that letting a five-year-old fight would be a good idea anyway? – and everyone knew it.

"We need to start out ahead," Iemitsu cut in, putting his glares on hold for the moment. "I'm sure Lambo will be fine. He is a Bovino after all."

Tsuna scowled in annoyance as Lambo, sitting in Harry's lap, clapped at red and green lights that the Brit was somehow conjuring for his entertainment. "Tou-san, just because you gave Lambo a set of old horns doesn't mean he's going to win against a trained  _assassin_."

He looked around. Gokudera was nodding in agreement and Tsuna was fairly certain it wasn't just because he had said it, while even Yamamoto and Ryohei looked concerned.

Iemitsu waved an airy hand that had the power to rile Tsuna up even further. Maybe all this anger towards his father was from thirteen years of passivity.

"He'll be fine," Iemitsu repeated. "The horns are a hint for Lambo."

"Why does he need a hint at all?" Harry interjected, and Tsuna sighed in relief. Harry could surely talk some sense into his dad. Maybe. "Why don't you just  _tell_  him?"

Iemitsu actually looked stumped for a moment. "Well, he's young-"

Harry glanced up, seemingly not at all concerned that Lambo had crawled up onto his shoulder and was laughing in delight at the colourful sparks floating around Harry's head.

"You're throwing him into a fight that could very well end with his very  _permanent_ loss," Harry stressed blandly. "If he's old enough for you to toss him into something like that, then he's old enough to listen to all the advice we can give him."

Iemitsu scoffed and Tsuna thought it was rather like a tennis match for the rest of them as they looked back and forth between the two men.

"I didn't see you helping him the past two weeks."

Harry's smile was dangerously pleasant. "At least I was helping the others. What were you doing?"

Iemitsu glared. "I'm Vongola's CEDEF leader. My job is to oversee these battles for the Ninth and make sure they're fair."

Harry scoffed with the sort of disdainful but dignified bearing that Tsuna would expect in a lord. "Fair? There is nothing fair about these battles. The judges are from the Cervello Family. Didn't you notice the video cameras yesterday night? Where do you think the tapes ended up? I'd bet all my savings that the Varia has them right now. And the shot Gola Mosca fired yesterday? Outsiders should not have interfered, not to mention the battle was over. If I hadn't gotten Ryohei out of there, he would've been hit. That should have been grounds for an end to this insanity but you didn't call them out on it, and even if you did, no doubt, they would have denied your claim since those exact rules  _haven't been set down_."

Tsuna stared open-mouthed at Harry before turning an accusing stare at his father. "It's pretty clear the Cervello are on the Varia's side. Isn't that, well,  _unfair_?"

Iemitsu gritted his teeth. "There's nothing I can do about that. It's on the order of the Ninth."

"We can debate this for hours," Reborn finally interrupted. "Iemitsu, I agree with Harry. The cow's going to need all the help he can get. We might as well tell him what to do."

Iemitsu was glaring balefully again as if Reborn had done him a personal offense by siding with Harry. Tsuna heaved a sigh. This had gone past embarrassing and into ridiculous.

"What is this plan anyway?" Gokudera jumped in, clearly trying to get them back on topic.

All the adults in the room exchanged glances before Reborn looked over at Harry and Lambo. "Calm that cow down. He's the one who should hear this."

Tsuna couldn't help feeling envious at the ease in which Harry did exactly that. The sparks disappeared and Lambo's whines made half the room grimace but Harry didn't so much as twitch.

"Now, Lambo, this is important," Harry said gently as he manoeuvred the five-year-old back into his lap. "You know you have to fight tonight and everyone's worried about you."

"Lambo-san is strong!" The Bovino boasted. "Lambo-san can win without anyone's help!"

"That may be," Harry acquiesced before Reborn could say something offensive. "But a little extra help can't hurt, can it? Besides, it'll make all of us happier to know that you're going into battle with all the help you can get."

Everybody ignored the "speak for yourself" that Reborn coughed out.

Lambo looked around suspiciously before puffing up arrogantly. "Very well, Lambo-san will hear what everyone has to say."

Tsuna sweatdropped and then hastily started speaking when he caught Reborn reaching for Leon. "Okay then, uh, what's the plan?"

Dino smirked and even Iemitsu relaxed enough to offer a rather satisfied nod.

"We use the Ten-Year Bazooka of course," Iemitsu explained. "If this Lambo is too young, then we simply get him to change places with his future self."

That was... actually a good idea. Tsuna had been starting to get the impression that his dad really was a complete idiot but he supposed someone like that wouldn't have been able to make CEDEF leader. It was also possible that his father and Harry were simply the type that rubbed each other the wrong way at first sight, which was one of the reasons why Iemitsu hadn't been particularly helpful until now.

Tsuna brightened and turned to Lambo. "How about it, Lambo? Just jump into your Bazooka at the beginning of the fight and let your future self handle it."

But of course, Lambo just had to be difficult. "No! Lambo-san can take care of it himself!"

"Stupid cow!" Gokudera snapped. "Listen to what Jyuudaime says! It'll still be you fighting anyway; you shouldn't have any complaints!"

Lambo crossed his arms and began to wail. "Lambo-san doesn't wanna! Lambo-san is strong! Lambo-san can defeat the bad guy by himself!"

"Come on, Lambo," Tsuna coaxed anxiously. "You like playing around with your Bazooka, don't you? Just use it like you normally do."

He paused, faltering. Come to think of it, when was the last time Lambo had used the weapon? He couldn't recall even seeing the Bazooka anytime after school had started up again, and that was almost two months ago. Before that, he had only seen fifteen-year-old Lambo once sometime in the beginning of the summer vacation, and even then, he had only caught a glimpse of the Bovino before the teen had made himself scarce, something Lambo just didn't do unless Bianchi was in the vicinity.

And when five-year-old Lambo had come back, the boy had disappeared as well, only reappearing again when Nana persuaded him to come out from the upstairs hall closet for dinner. Lambo had poked at his meal that night, looking upset and depressed, but everyone had thought that the Bovino had simply been sulking about something or other again. He had been fine the very next day.

Lambo had risen to a full-out temper tantrum, pitching a fit right then and there. "LAMBO-SAN WON'T! LAMBO-SAN HATES THE BAZOOKA!"

Tsuna saw Reborn rise to his feet, an uncharacteristically pensive frown on his feet as the tutor reached for Leon, looking to want to quiet Lambo down for some reason other than the sheer volume.

The intervention came half a second too late.

"LAMBO-SAN DOESN'T WANT TO SEE A FUTURE WITHOUT FRATELLONE!"

The words silenced the room more effectively than the bullet from Reborn did.

For a long minute, Tsuna only sat there, not quite sure he understood what Lambo had said. The Bovino was sniffling now, and only Harry seemed completely unaffected by the forewarning, gently rocking the five-year-old to calm him down.

"Wh- What does that mean?" Gokudera's voice came out unsteady, and Tsuna could see a spark of terror in the bomber's eyes. "Did- Did Shishou leave? I mean he's not part of the Vongola, so I guess he might want to go his own way eventually-"

"No questions," Reborn cut in harshly. "If the cow tells us anything else, we could end up changing the future, and that's not always a good thing."

Gokudera looked like he wanted to protest, but subsided when Harry said lightly, "I'm sure I'm not gone in the more... permanent sense, Hayato. I am very difficult to kill after all."

Gokudera flinched but nodded uncertainly and said nothing more, hands clasping together to hide their slight trembling. Yamamoto's smile had faltered, and on the swordsman's other side, Ryohei was looking similarly grim. The boxer might not be the smartest of people but Tsuna had long since come to the conclusion that the older teen had a knack for grasping the most important point in whatever was being said.

"So... we're forfeiting then?" Dino enquired, looking a little tense himself.

"Well what would happen if we lost the Lightning Ring battle, kora?" Colonello spoke up. "That would leave the Storm, Rain, Mist, Cloud, and Sky. I think we can all agree that Mist and Cloud are in the bag, yeah?"

There was a wave of affirmative murmurs. Tsuna shivered at the thought. Hibari and Mukuro would rip their way through their opponents.

He didn't notice the heavy look Reborn exchanged with Colonello.

"I am confident that Hayato will be able to win as well," Harry added mildly, bringing a faint grin to Gokudera's face.

"So that's Storm, Mist, and Cloud, kora," Colonello continued, counting off fingers. "Tsuna's still training and he's facing Xanxus, so that could go either way."

Tsuna winced at the brutal truth but didn't deny it. The training Reborn was putting him through was torture. He still had a long way to go and his battle was coming up fast.

"What about you, Yamamoto?" Colonello glanced over at the black-haired teen and Tsuna followed his gaze.

Yamamoto laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "It's coming along. My dad says I've just about completed my training with him."

Colonello's eyes narrowed. "We'll say that could go either way too then, kora. So say we get three wins and three losses. There will be an extra battle where we'll get to choose who fights. That shouldn't be too hard, kora."

"If it comes to that, they'll pick Xanxus," Harry said, absently running his fingers through Lambo's hair. "Or rather, Xanxus will pick himself. At the moment, the Varia is still underestimating us on some level, with perhaps the exception of Squalo. Xanxus won't chance it once he fully realizes how strong you all are – he'll come out swinging with everything he has."

Green eyes pinned them in place as the Brit delivered bluntly, "I don't think any of you, with  _maybe_  the exception of Mukuro who will be too tired to take Chrome's place a second time anyway, will be able to stand a chance against a Xanxus at full strength."

Tsuna's shoulders slumped. He was under no delusions himself. He knew the next battles depended largely on luck, the element of surprise, and the trump cards each of them would be able to come up with. The attack he was working on was something Reborn had promised him that Xanxus would not know how to retaliate against. It was all a gamble. And once Xanxus had seen exactly what each of them could do, he would have to be stupid to hold back.

"Okay, so at least one of you will just have to win," Colonello stated as if the whole situation was quite easy to resolve. "No pressure, kora."

Reborn threw the blond a dirty look before bringing them back to the immediate problem. "Are we sure the cow won't use the Bazooka?"

Tsuna stifled a sigh. Reborn never addressed Lambo directly if he could help it.

"Um," He glanced at Harry, who was much better at dealing with children than he was. Lambo still considered him Dame-Tsuna most of the time.

Harry seemed to understand what he wanted because the Brit looked down at Lambo and asked firmly, "Lambo, you definitely won't use the Bazooka? No matter what?"

Lambo sniffed again but at least he wasn't outright crying anymore. "It's scary, everyone's fighting. Fratellone's gone and- and-"

More tears welled up and Tsuna was suddenly on the receiving end of accusing tear-filled pale green eyes. "And Dame-Tsuna put Fratellone in a box and Fratellone wouldn't wake u-"

"That's enough," Harry stood up abruptly, still cradling Lambo. "Let's go get some fresh air, okay Lambo?"

With a curt nod at the rest of the room's occupants, the Brit swept out the door, footsteps near-silent as he left. None of them even moved until they heard the front door open and close.

Tsuna thought he was going to be sick. It didn't take a genius to guess what Lambo was saying. What the hell had gone wrong in the future? Had he really become a mafia boss? Vongola Decimo? It was the only scenario he could come up with that would end in-

He yelped and jerked to the side when a bullet came whizzing past his ear. Reborn was staring at all of them, a harsh glint in his onyx eyes.

"This is hardly helping," The baby tutor said flatly. "We concentrate on the here and now, not some future parallel world spouted by the cow. Pull yourself together. We have bigger problems at the moment."

Tsuna took a deep shuddering breath and, beside him, Gokudera did the same.

"O- Okay," Tsuna looked around, thankful that his father, for all his dislike of Harry, hadn't said anything so far and was keeping his features neutrally blank. "S- So what should we do? There's just no way Lambo could beat the Varia Lightning Guardian as a five-year-old. Like, absolutely  _no way_ ,  _at all_."

"There's not much we can do," Dino said, resting his chin in one hand. "Putting a five-year-old out there is just asking the enemy to kill one of our own. If we're going to lose tonight's battle either way, forfeiting would be the better choice."

Tsuna was already nodding before Dino finished talking.

"Good, great," He didn't even bother hiding his relief. "We'll forfeit tonight and make sure we win at least four other battles."

His gaze sought out Reborn's as it was prone to do these days and his tutor only nodded, one hand reaching up to pull down his fedora. "If that is what you decide, then so be it."

 

* * *

 

"Ne, ne, Fratellone,"

"Hmm?"

"Does Fratellone want Lambo-san to use the Bazooka?"

"Not if you don't want to."

"Why not?"

"Because it hurts you, doesn't it? I don't think children should have to fight at all, but now that you are, I'd like to keep all of you out of as much harm as possible."

"Silly Fratellone, the Bazooka won't hurt Lambo-san."

"Not physically, Lambo, but emotionally, yes?"

"What's e-mo-shun-alley?" For the first time since they had begun their walk, Lambo peered up at his surrogate brother from the man's arms.

Harry smiled kindly down at him before pointing to his chest where his heart was. "It means the feelings you have here. That hurts when you go to the future, right?"

Lambo nodded silently, trying not to think of the forest clearing and the people crying and the black box where Fratellone slept and wouldn't wake up, even when Lambo demanded it until Ahodera pulled him away.

"Isn't Fratellone scared?" Lambo asked in a tiny voice. He was sure someone as smart as his brother understood what he had seen.

Harry was silent for a long while. "No," He said at last. "Sleeping forever isn't something I'm scared of."

Lambo stared upwards again, wide-eyed. "Why not?"

Harry looked sad. "Because occasionally, there are some people who are just tired enough to want to sleep forever."

Lambo squirmed and managed to turn around in Harry's arms. "But Fratellone doesn't want to, right? Fratellone wants to stay with Lambo-san and Dame-Tsuna and Ahodera and everyone else forever and ever! Even with that stupid Reborn, right?"

Harry smiled again but didn't answer. Instead, he said, "If it helps, Lambo, I think me and Tsuna in the future probably have something up our sleeves."

It took Lambo a few moments to understand. "You mean Fratellone isn't... dead?"

Harry ruffled his hair. "No telling anyone, alright?"

Lambo nodded vigorously. He knew he was loud most of the time but he could keep secrets. Until now, he had never once told anyone about anything he saw in the future. He understood the importance of secrets.

"Fratellone means it?" He asked desperately. "Fratellone isn't just saying that?"

"I mean it," Harry nodded. "And you know I don't lie."

Lambo beamed, scrubbing away the last of his tears. "Then if Fratellone isn't really dead, Lambo-san will agree to use the Bazooka."

Harry stopped walking and glanced down at him again. "Are you sure, Lambo? I'm certain the others-"

Lambo crossed his arms. "Lambo-san will pull his own weight. Fratellone and Dame-Tsuna is counting on Lambo-san, right? So Lambo-san will use the Bazooka."

He gave his surrogate brother a stubborn look that he hoped would tell Harry that he wasn't going to change his mind.

Harry stared at him for a drawn-out minute before giving him a half-smile. "Fine, but you jump into that Bazooka the second the battle starts, understand? Or I'll step in and make you forfeit no matter what anyone says."

Lambo grinned and waved his hands. "Who does Fratellone think Lambo-san is? Lambo-san is the greatest and most powerful! A future Lambo-san will be even stronger!"

 

* * *

 

"Hiiee! Lambo's fighting?!"

Reborn released a short sigh and hurled a Leon-hammer at his student's head. Tsuna dropped like a stone, yelling in pain. "Yes, now hurry up and change. The match starts in half an hour."

"But I thought we all agreed that Lambo  _wouldn't_  be fighting!" Tsuna persisted, sitting up and rubbing his head as Leon meandered back to Reborn.

"That was before the cow changed his mind and decided he was going to use the Bazooka after all," Reborn explained as patiently as he could.

"Why would he change his mind?" His student demanded, and Reborn shot him this time. Or shot the air around him anyway, but Tsuna shrieked and ducked all the same. He wondered how long it would take the brunet to realize that the only reason none of the more lethal bullets ever hit him was because Reborn didn't  _want_  them to hit. The boy really wasn't in any danger even if he didn't move.

"Harry convinced him," Reborn smirked in satisfaction. He wasn't exactly sure what Harry had said but it must've been good if he had managed to persuade that obstinate cow to retract his previous vow.

"Harry-san wouldn't," Tsuna defended, pulling on a sweater. It was drizzling outside.

"Well, he changed the cow's mind somehow," Reborn said shortly.

A stilted silence ensued before Tsuna, not completely off-topic, voiced hesitantly, "Reborn, in the future, is Harry-san..."

"Dead?" Reborn finished without mercy when it looked like his student wouldn't be able to spit out the word.

Tsuna blanched, turning pale. He nodded shakily.

Reborn eyed his student carefully before deciding to tell the boy the truth. Tsuna wouldn't believe him anyway if he spun a fairytale lie.

"It's a possibility," Reborn acknowledged, ignoring the horror in Tsuna's eyes. "In the mafia, life is never guaranteed."

"That's why I don't want any part in-"

"But," Reborn interrupted sharply. "The future isn't set in stone. And Harry is a very difficult person to kill."

Tsuna had fallen silent again, looking listless and lost.

Reborn huffed, turning to face the rain-sprinkled window. "You should be happy. Ten years in the future, Harry is still at your side. You managed to draw him into your Family-"

"Not everything is about the Family, Reborn!"

Reborn didn't bother turning around at the frustrated shout.

"I don't want Harry-san in my Family if it means he gets killed in the future," Tsuna continued tersely. "I care more about my friends and  _family_  than some mafia group."

"That's what Reborn's trying to teach you, you know," A voice from the doorway said mildly. "He can be a cryptic bastard though."

This time Reborn did turn around, while Tsuna tripped over thin air as he whirled about. "Harry-san!"

Hair slightly damp from the weather outside, Harry nodded at both of them as he blinked away a few raindrops. "Lambo's already halfway to school with Hayato. Are you ready?"

"Yes- no!" Tsuna got up, shifting from foot to foot, looking slightly devastated. "Harry-san, I- I'm sorry!"

There was a distinct pause. Reborn sighed and fought the urge to facepalm.

"Why?"

Tsuna spluttered. "B- Because I got you killed!"

It started soft, slowly growing until Harry was bent over double and gasping for breath as he laughed. Despite the situation, the sound brought a faint unbidden smile to Reborn's face.

Tsuna gaped at him. "Wh- What did I say?"

"Tsuna," Harry straightened, still looking bright-eyed with amusement. "I promise you, there is no way you could get me killed."

"B- But-"

"No way," Harry said adamantly, the humour fading from his features. "Even if I did die, I promised myself a long time ago that it would be on my own terms. I fight for no one but myself; if I died, then it would be because it was simply my time to go."

The Brit's eyes narrowed when Tsuna made to protest. "Do not be so arrogant as to think you can carry  _my_  death on your shoulders, especially since it has yet to happen."

Tsuna backtracked, looking bewildered. "I- I'm not being arrogant-"

"Aren't you?" Harry tilted his head. "You know nothing of the circumstances in the future and yet you automatically assume that I died for you. For all you know, I could've died trying to kill you. I could've died of disease, I could've died in a car accident, or I might not have died at all. The body could've been a fake. Don't jump to conclusions, brat; it's a terrible habit."

Tsuna gawked and Reborn hid a smile. While he himself was good at teaching through action, Harry wielded words with enviable efficiency.

"Now grab your coat. We've got twenty minutes before the match starts and I promised Lambo I would watch."

With that said, the Brit disappeared again, leaving a somewhat stunned Tsuna behind.

Reborn sighed. "Hurry up, Dame-Tsuna. Like I said, worry about the here and now. You don't have enough brain cells to spare to even consider worrying about the future."

 

* * *

 

"I almost can't watch," Tsuna mumbled, shifting in agitation as Lambo bounded forward with singular enthusiasm.

The brunet glanced over his shoulder at the shadowed figure leaning against beside the roof door, arms crossed and emotionless. His gaze was focused on the far side of the roof and Tsuna followed the man's line of sight to the swordsman that had attacked them a few weeks back. Squalo was staring back, eyes narrowed and guarded as they assessed Harry.

It was quite clear just who Squalo thought was the biggest threat out of everyone in attendance, even more so than Reborn since the baby hitman at least wasn't an unknown.

"The Lightning battle will now begin," One of the Cervello announced after the other had finished introducing the field. "Lightning Guardian candidates – please step forward."

With a hell of a lot of boasting that made Tsuna despair, Lambo bounded forward after waving gleefully at Harry. Across the rooftop, the Varia opponent, Levi, also made his way onto the field.

Tsuna could only release a sigh of relief when pink smoke flooded the area and the five-year-old Lambo disappeared.

 

* * *

 

Lambo had been eating pot stickers when familiar pink smoke filled his vision and he could feel the power of his Ten-Year Bazooka snatch him up and pop him back in time.

Wonderful. The one time he could actually sit down and enjoy a dinner at the right hour instead of catching a snack whenever he wasn't fighting for his life or spying on whatever Millefiore soldiers had been sent to kill them – again – or handling the paperwork for Hayato so that the bomber could catch a break and get some shut-eye, he just had to be sent back because his younger self was an idiot who had the worst timing in the history of mankind.

And the other Guardians around him! Shouldn't they be able to stop his younger self? He had thought, after the disastrous switch last time right in the middle of Harry's fune-

Okay, he wasn't going to think about that. It would just make him cry again and he had been trying his damndest to prove to everyone that he wasn't a crybaby anymore.

However, he  _was_  going to give everyone's younger selves a piece of his mind. How dare they drag him away from the first real dinner he had had in three weeks?

"What kinda timing do you call this?" He called out irritably as soon as the smoke started to clear. Well, at least he was still holding his bowl of pot stickers. If he was lucky, Bianchi would be nowhere in sight and he could still eat it while he waited for the Bazooka's effects to wear off. "You couldn't have held my younger self back for another fifteen minutes or so? Just so I could have a decent dinner for once?"

The smoke finally lifted and Lambo glanced around, ready to slide into a battle stance just in case. He did not expect to find his family's younger counterparts all staring at him with wide eyes.

He eyed them speculatively before turning to face the familiar presences behind him. Wait, was this…

"Let me guess," He said out loud as he scanned the Varia gathered on a nearby platform as well as the man standing on the other side of the roof. "The Varia is still our enemy at this time."

"Er, yes, that'd be right," Hayato said from somewhere behind him. "Wait, what do you mean 'still'? Do they become something else in the future?"

Lambo shrugged and said nothing, still trying to get a fix on where he was. Lightning rods, rooftop, damn Cervello bitches – the women would all wash his mouth out if they had heard that – and slightly confused but still rather threatening Varia.

Oh. This was his battle for the Lightning Ring – not that it did much good after their boss went and destroyed them a couple months back. Both Harry  _and_  Reborn had warned him not to-

Harry!

Lambo whirled, his dinner slipping from his suddenly numb fingers and crashing onto the ground even as he searched frantically for that familiar face.

"Fratellone!" He exclaimed, lurching forward towards the black-haired man standing near the back, sharp green eyes open and warm and  _alive_.

"Contenders will be disqualified immediately should they step outside of the arena," One Cervello interrupted, and Lambo wasted no time rounding on the pink-haired woman.

"Shut up, you traitor!" He snarled, and yes, maybe his temper really was taking after Hayato's like Takeshi had pointed out a few times, but you couldn't really blame him. The stress was getting to all of them. "I don't care what Gokudera-shi says – when I get my hands on you lot, I'll roast every single last one of you!"

It was gratifying to see the woman pale just a little at his obvious loathing but Lambo didn't pay her any more attention as he turned back to his family, nor did he give the dropped jaws all around more than a cursory glance. He did make sure not to step out of the arena though – these matches had been rather important back then.

"Fratellone," He took in the Brit hungrily. God, it was good to see the man alive again. He had chewed right through his lip in a futile attempt to keep his tears at bay when he had seen Harry lying in that coffin, chest still, eyes closed, skin cold.

Harry watched him for a moment, assessing, before pushing off the wall he had been leaning against and coming forward, circling around so that he was standing a few feet in front of Lambo instead.

"Hello, Lambo," The man greeted him easily.

Typical Harry. Taking everything in stride without so much as batting an eye, even when Lambo was sure that the Brit already knew why he was on the verge of forfeiting the match and just hugging his surrogate older brother to death right then and there.

He winced. Bad choice of words.

"I can't-" Lambo faltered. He wanted to blurt out ten different warnings, tell Harry not to do this in the future, not go there in ten years' time, but he  _couldn't_. He knew that better than anyone. "I can't  _tell_  you anything. Just- You have to be  _careful_."

Harry inclined his head, still ridiculously calm. "Of course."

Lambo almost growled in frustration before peering around Harry at his future boss. "Oi, Tsuna-nii, just because Harry's stronger than all of us combined doesn't mean he doesn't need looking after. You have to keep an eye on him, protect him just like you do the rest of your family, protect him like he protects us, okay?"

Tsuna gaped at him, dumbfounded, and Lambo sighed. His boss could be so Dame at times.

A crackle of lightning from behind him had him twisting out of the way, jumping back a few times as the attack from an umbrella followed him. "Levi-san, you should really consider that therapy Gokudera-shi is always going on about."

All the Varia, even those watching on the sidelines, seemed torn between staring in disbelief and throttling him.

"No matter who you are, I will defeat you for the boss," Levi announced. Apparently, the situation was just too surreal for him and the man was reverting back to his default mode.

Lambo heaved another sigh. "I've forgotten how much of a groupie you are ten years back."

Levi looked highly offended before charging his umbrellas again. "This is the end for you! Levi Volta!"

Lambo grimaced. As much as he hated to admit it, Levi Volta wasn't something he could avoid or absorb entirely – not yet anyway. Which left...

"Take care, Fratellone," He called out, taking one last look at Harry before he whipped out his Bazooka and leapt into it just as the attack descended on him.

 

* * *

 

Harry said nothing, ignored the distressed glances he was getting, and only stared straight ahead as a twenty-five-year-old Lambo appeared, looking far more hardened with a scar over his right eye and a fluid lethality to his movements that one could only require after years of fighting.

This Lambo took one look around, taking in the situation, before proceeding to absorb Levi's strongest attack and then taking the man down, flooring him with a long-ranged Elettrico Cornata that overpowered a shocked Levi in the blink of an eye, all within the space of a minute. And there was still one and a half minutes on the clock before the Bazooka's effects wore off.

"Here," Lambo's gravelly voice said as he tossed the completed ring to Tsuna with barely half a glance. Behind him, the Varia stood stunned, all eyes either on the smoking form of their unconscious teammate or Lambo's languid appearance.

Like the fifteen-year-old Lambo, this Lambo also stopped in front of Harry, searching his face with a single light green eye.

"It's been so long," Lambo finally murmured, though his voice carried over the entire rooftop. "You... You did it, you know. In the end."

Harry tilted his head. Did what?

"You got your wish," The Bovino turned away a little, hands stuffed into his coat pockets. For some reason, his gaze settled on Reborn. The Arcobaleno stared back without expression. "You found out how and you did it."

Harry stilled. The only real wish he had had for a very, very long time now was to find a way to die. Morbid, yes, but after six thousand years, one couldn't really blame him for getting tired of wandering around and wanting to move on.

"The Arcobaleno were all very grateful," Lambo continued, and there was a note of bitterness in his voice. "Right up until the point where they found out how you did it."

"Then again, I suppose it didn't really matter in the end," Wistful nostalgia overlapped the acrimony in Lambo's voice as the Bovino turned back to face Harry.

"W- What does that mean?" Tsuna spoke up at last, dread surfacing on his features. "What are you talking about, Lambo?"

For the first time since appearing, Lambo looked directly at Tsuna before running a frustrated hand through his hair. In two strides, he was standing beside the brunet.

Harry raised an eyebrow when the Bovino stooped down and muttered something to Tsuna – with Reborn being the only one close enough to hear – that made the future boss' eyes widen almost comically.

Lambo straightened and scanned them all before nodding curtly and backing away a few steps. "Do better than us this time around. Don't you dare-"

With a poof, twenty-five-year-old Lambo disappeared in a swirl of pink smoke, leaving his five-year-old self behind once more.

Lambo scrambled to his feet, which promptly snapped the rest out of their semi-stupor and they all rushed forward to surround the Bovino.

Harry said nothing after a soft smile in the five-year-old's direction that earned him a beaming grin, turning away to stare absently up at the night sky. Had he really found a way to... move on in the future? And it really did have something to do with the Arcobaleno.

"The Lightning Ring battle goes to Bovino Lambo," One of the Cervello called out, still looking slightly shaky. "Tomorrow night will be the Storm Ring battle."

Harry tuned out the rest of the woman's words.

"Come, Hayato," Harry beckoned, and the bomber was instantly detaching himself from the group and trotting over to his side, expression determined.

Harry glanced back at the Varia where a disgusted Squalo was glowering down at Levi's prone form while Belphegor looked to be readying his knives.

Dino was already making his way forward, no doubt to retrieve Levi as well before the man ended up dead.

"Let's go," Harry motioned for Hayato to follow. "We have some last-minute preparations to go through."

And without another backward glance, Harry strode away.

He didn't know how or where or when, but for the first time in six thousand years, he could finally see an end.

 

* * *

 

_"Give him a reason to stay. Whatever you're doing now – it isn't enough."_

Tsuna didn't sleep that night – he couldn't. Twenty-five-year-old Lambo's words rang in his head, twisting his stomach and squeezing his heart.

How the hell was he supposed to do that anyway? Did Tsuna even want Harry to stick around? Well, of course he did, but not at the cost of the man's life, and no matter what Harry had said, Tsuna was quite convinced that the man was very much dead in the future.

And when Lambo had said 'stay', did the Bovino mean 'stay with the Family' or... 'stay alive'?

"Dame-Tsuna, you're thinking so loud, I can hear you from here," His tutor interrupted brusquely.

Tsuna rolled onto his side so that he could see Reborn's silhouette. "Aren't you worried?"

"No," Reborn said curtly. "Go to bed."

"Reborn!" Tsuna exclaimed, frowning at the flippant behaviour.

"Go to bed, Tsuna," Reborn repeated. "There's nothing you can do about it right now. It doesn't look like anything will be happening anytime soon anyway.  _Go to bed_."

Tsuna reluctantly subsided, but only for a few minutes before another thought came to him. "What did Lambo mean when he said that the  _Arcobaleno_  were all very grateful?"

No answer. Tsuna sighed. Reborn could fall asleep at the drop of a hat. Rolling onto his other side, he did his best to ignore his concerns for now. At the moment, he had bigger things to worry about. He could press his tutor and Harry for answers after these ring battles were over.

 

* * *

 

Reborn was still very much awake. Half of him wished he wasn't.

Because all he could think of was that stupid cow's words. Because there was only one thing the Arcobaleno as a whole could be grateful for, even him. Because part of him – a very tiny part – was no longer resigned to a cursed life for the rest of his days.

And because the cow had implied that it would cost Harry of all people something none of them would want him to pay.

Reborn hated the fact that he hoped Harry might succeed anyway.

 


End file.
